Illegal Gold Mining Fuelling Banditry In Zamfara – Eedris Abdulkareem Claims

Veteran Nigerian rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem, has reacted to recent killings of residents in Zamfara State by bandits as well as the Federal Government’s suspension of mining activities in the state.

Recall that the Federal Government yesterday announced a total ban on mining activities in Zamfara State and its environs due to the recent violence in the state.

According to the Inspector-General of the Police, Mohammed Adamu, the decision is part of fresh measures to restore peace and curb the menace of banditry in the state.

In his reaction, Abdulkareem threw his weight behind the decision of the Federal Government; claiming that the rising spate of banditry in Zamfara State was due to the activities of a cartel dealing in gold illegally mined in the state.

He described the illegal mining activity in the Northwest state as another “Blood Diamond“ movie in the making,

The rapper went further to urge the government to go after those in charge of the mining sites, their couriers and middlemen in Dubai.

Eedris, a former member of defunct group – The Remedies, posted on his Instagram page an image of a gold mining site and wrote; “The goodies in Zamfara that people are being killed for while a blind eye is being turned.

“Go to Dubai many shops are owned by Nigerians. There major business supplying this gold. While going after the bandits, go after those in charge of the sites, their couriers and middlemen in Dubai. The trail is long and the links strong. Hope the political will is there.

“The illegality of the whole business is what is fueling the crisis. Mining should only be done on mining leases. Leases are surveyed and mapped out on land recognized by government upon which mineral resources are extracted and consequently taxed.

“What is happening in Zamfara is illegal mining, the gold is smelted locally and ferried to Dubai through the local gold merchants in our markets.

“They are recorded as scrapped gold extracted from jewelry bought from our women and recycled. It is a big cartel making millions of dollars off the blood of the innocent.