July 5. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Authorities in the state of Niger, located in western Nigeria, have ordered an immediate suspension of all mining activities due to the uptick in attacks and fears that these incidents are helping to finance armed gangs.
The decision comes just a few days after an attack on a mine that left more than 40 dead, including 37 members of the security forces, and several kidnapped, including four Chinese citizens, who have not yet been rescued.
Niger’s government secretary, Ahmed Matane, has stated that the suspension comes into effect “immediately” in the Shiroro, Munya and Rafi areas due to “continuous attacks by bandits,” according to the Nigerian daily. ‘The Premium Times’.
“These mining sites have been seen to attract and even accommodate criminals, posing a threat to the safety of life and property,” he said, before warning any continuing mine “operators” to “The full weight of the law will apply.”
In this sense, Matane has emphasized that the authorities “have ordered the security agencies in Niger to analyze all the mining sites to determine their authenticity” and added that “the pressure on armed bandits, kidnappers , cattle rustlers and other criminal elements until they are expelled.”
Insecurity in Nigeria, previously centered in the northeast of the country, has spread in recent months to other areas in the north and northwest, raising alarms about the possible expansion of these terrorist and criminal networks.
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