Posted by Five individuals have been detained in connection with suspected illicit mining in the state of Oyo, according to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Oyo State Command, reported on Wednesday in Ibadan.
While parading the suspects, Augustine Padonu, the state’s NSCDC commandant, made the announcement.
He claimed that the suspects were apprehended by members of the Command with two trucks carrying around 60 metric tons of solid minerals, which were thought to be lithium powder.
The materials were loaded from Ilenla in Kishi town, Oyo State, and were supposed to be sold in Ogere in Ogun, according to Padonu’s investigation.
The commandant stated that the individuals in question were engaged in illicit mining activities, operating from sites that lacked the necessary licenses and documentation.
At the Ibadan Toll Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, our watchful surveillance crew stopped two DAF trucks on Friday at approximately 2100 hours. The trucks’ license plates were BDJ 64 XE and ARP 201 XB.
He added that the vehicles contained 60 metric tons of what seemed to be lithium powder.
After the investigations are finished, the suspects will be arraigned in court, according to the NSCDC officer.
The NSCDC in Oyo State, he added, will not waver from its mission to root out crime in the state.
In order to help with their efforts to keep the peace, Padonu urged the citizens of Oyo State to keep giving information to the NSCDC and other security agencies.
He vowed that the command would keep fighting tooth and nail to safeguard the country’s natural wealth and make sure that mining operations followed all applicable regulations.