The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has alleged that some influential indigenes of Osun State, including royal fathers and politicians, are the real sponsors of illegal mining activities in some parts of the state.
Oba Akanbi, in an interview, said that ” the labourers working on mining sites, who were predominantly youths of northern extraction, had been flocking the state because they were getting engaged by some prominent politicians and royal fathers involved in illegal mining.
He urged the government to stop individuals from mining gold as a solution to the security challenge created by the large presence of northern youths in the Ife/Ijesa axis of Osun State.
The royal father also called on the Osun State Government to take over the mining business and ensure that laws governing such endeavours were fully applied.
Oba Akanbi added, “Those Hausa Fulani are looking for jobs, and they have jobs on mining sites in the state. The Fulani labourers don’t need visas to enter Osun State because Nigeria is one. People go to where they can find jobs.
“Big men, politicians, traditional rulers in the state are behind illegal mining in Osun and the solution to the security challenges the large presence of the labourers from the North has created is that government should take over that business.
“There is no legal framework for their activities there. There is no law; and where laws are not applied, people will just be acting as they like. Government should take over the business and manage it.”
Punchng.com
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