- Police arrest six illegal miners in Niger with weapons and tools.
- Raid follows CP Elleman’s directive to curb illegal mining operations.
- Similar clampdowns occurred in Cross River over illegal limestone mining.
Operatives of the Niger State Police Command have arrested six suspected illegal miners during a raid on a mining site in Paiko, Paikoro Local Government Area of the state.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the suspects were apprehended on Saturday, September 13, 2025, while several others fled the scene. Mining equipment, dangerous weapons, and illicit drugs were recovered during the operation.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Niger State, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday in Minna.
He identified the arrested suspects as Aliyu Rabiu, 19; Samaila Ibrahim, 31; Sadiku Auwal, 23; Ibrahim Babangida, 29; Musa Adamu, 30; and Sani Hassan, 28 — all residents of Dangado village in Paiko.
“Based on credible information, operatives of the Command’s Crack Squad stormed an illegal mining site at Dangado village via Paiko, where illegal miners were discovered with dangerous weapons. Six suspects were arrested while others managed to escape,” Abiodun stated.
Items recovered include three water pump engines, two diggers, shovels, head pans, knives, cutlasses, and substances suspected to be illicit drugs.
The police spokesman added that other illegal mining sites in Chanchaga were also raided, leading to further arrests. He explained that the operation was carried out in line with the directive of the Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Elleman, to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the state for the protection of lives, property, and the environment.
Abiodun confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that all suspects will be charged in court upon completion.
This development comes shortly after a similar clampdown in Cross River State, where the Taskforce on Illegal Mining, chaired by Prince Paul Effiong, arrested several persons engaged in illegal limestone mining in Akamkpa Local Government Area. Effiong had stressed that despite repeated warnings, illegal mining activities have continued to thrive, posing serious economic and environmental risks.
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