FG turns off the illegal gold extraction site in FCT

The Federal Government ordered the closure of an illegal gold extraction site in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Wednesday, the Minister of Development of Solid Minerals, dr. Dele Alake, he declared in a declaration of having ordered the mineral marshals to seal the site following news of illegal activities and the concern of the government for potential environmental dangers.

The move comes after a recent operation in which the marshals closed another mineral site to the integration of district 2, Gwagwalada, on August 16, where 16 suspicions were arrested and are awaiting judicial proceedings. Previously, on July 31, an illegal quarry was also sealed in Kuje, with 13 suspicions arrested.

According to Alake, the preliminary results showed that craft miners had invaded the Gwagwalada site after a golden vein had been accidentally discovered during the excavation of a soaking pit near a residential property.

The most recent illegal activity has been reported on the agricultural land behind Christ the King College (CKC), Gwagwalada.

After receiving the intelligence, the minister said he had ordered an immediate deployment of the marshals, who since then have ensured the area.

Ministry officials who inspected the site confirmed compliance with the directive, while investigations were underway to determine the causes at the root and prevent future events.

The commander of the mineral marshals, Acca John Onoja, revealed that his team had mounted 24 -hour surveillance on the sites affected pending the outcome of the federal government’s investigation.

Alake urged residents to avoid the area due to environmental and health risks placed by illegal operations.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to put an end to illegal action and the repositioning of the sector for economic growth, adding that satellite surveillance technology would soon be deployed to monitor the extraction activities at national level and increase the application.

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