The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, have denied allegations that their men were protecting the illegal miners across the country.
The duo denied the allegation Thursday at a hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, chaired by Jonathan Gaza while responding to a query by the committee on whether members of the Armed Forces and the Police were providing security for illegal miners as reported.
Musa, who was represented by the Director of Operations Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ilo, said they only provide protection for legitimate requests made by legitimate miners, who operate in conflict-prone areas.
“It is not our primary duty but part of our responsibility as per the constitution is that whenever the civil authority tasks us to do something, we have no obligation than to do that.
“Now to the question that you asked if the military is protecting any minefield or illegal miners. Most of the time, you find out that from reports reaching us from reliable sources that the military and police providing protection for illegal miners.
“I want to state categorically clear that is a fallacy. It is not true. If there is any such allegations, please we would want to know which of the mines or who brought the allegations so that we would take it up from there. If there is any such allegation, we want to know who brought that up, but as it is, that is pure lies sir.
“Legitimate requests are made for the military to give protection to legitimate miners that licence have been issued to in conflict-inflicted areas. Once we get such requests, what we normally do is we would write to the Ministry of Mines.
“In fact, we direct them to their letter to the Ministry of Mines. So, if the Ministry of Mines requests us because of the nature of the environment, because of the conflict, we do sometimes give protection to those people licensed by the government to carry out mining activities from the Ministry of Mines based on requests from the Ministry,” he said.
Also, the IGP, who was represented by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Ademola Hamzat, said no responsible organisation paid by the public would do anything that would be against the wish of the people.
He said: “The police, yes, we give guards to some individuals, who we can establish are under serious threat especially in terrorism inflicted areas. But from my own office, there is nothing to show that we protect any illegal mining site. We don’t do that…”