Powerful people in gov’t backing illegal miners – Ex-DSS Director

Former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has said that illegal miners in some part of the country are backed by some people in government.

Ejiofor disclosed this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

• Blasphemy: How I received murder of my daughter – Deborah’s mother
• ‘Nigeria’s economy at par with China’s 40 years ago’

He said, “If we cannot stop oil theft, how do we stop the mining activities? You see it is not easy for this oil theft without collaboration of some multinationals and locals who get involvef in all this. I was involved in an investigation when I was in service and I had an encounter with one of the illegal operators exploring crude oil.

“For us to stop the theft, we should look at the multinationals our security agencies and foreign multinationals that come here; it’s a syndicate; it’s a cartel that is involved in this oil theft. They are not mere men; they are backed by powers in government. That is the issue of corruption.”

Commenting on proposed ban of motorcycles in the country, Ejiofor said it would cause a lot of problems, especially in rural areas as it would affect travelling.

Earlier Thursday, the Federal Government has said it is considering placing a ban on the use of motorcycles, popularly known as okada.

The government said investigation revealed that motorcycles were used for mining activities across the country and the ban could cut off sources of funds of terrorists and bandits.

But commenting on the development,  Ejiofor said the government should have a rethink on the matter.

He added, “A general ban will cause a lot of problems. I don’t go with the idea of a general ban. In areas that are established and motorcycles are used for committing crimes, I think there should be a partial ban. It will affect travelling especially in rural areas and remote communities.”