Illegal mining: Security operatives arrest 4 Chinese, 16 others in Ebonyi

EBONYI State Government in collaboration with the Army, Police, and DSS yesterday raided an illegal mining site at Echara Unuphu in Abakaliki Local Government Area and arrested four Chinese and 16 other persons suspected to be illegal miners in the area.
Mining
Addressing newsmen at the
mining site, the Senior Special Adviser, SSA, to Governor David Umahi on Internal security, Dr. Kenneth Ugbala who condemned the activities of illegal miners across the state, noted that the state government would no longer fold its arms and allow the fortunes of the state to end up in private pockets.
He said: “The future of this state is at stake because of the
activities of these illegal miners. I have had the privilege of being in China and the Chinese don’t tamper with their environment no matter what the problem may be. With the type of problem created here in the name of mining, it is possible that this tunnel they created must have passed through underground to the Government House and every other place that Ebonyi people are living.
“So, what do we expect? A total
collapse? When we are living up, another road is under ground in the name of mining. There are no society, states and  environment that this type of thing is seen.  It is not as if they pay IGR and even at that, what type of IGR will  be more important than the future of our children and the entire people of the state.”