The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, said on Friday the Federal Government would not bow to pressure to free the Chinese and other persons arrested for illegal mining in Zamfara and Osun states last month.
Adegbite, who disclosed this to journalists at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, said some influential Nigerians have been mounting pressure on the government to free the illegal miners.
He insisted that the suspects would be prosecuted by the government.
Security agents had last month arrested two Chinese citizens for illegal mining in Zamfara.
The minister vowed that the federal government would no longer tolerate illegal mining, adding the ministry officials would meet with the Chinese government over the illegal activities of their nationals in Nigeria.
He described the illegal gold mining in the country by foreigners as economic sabotage.
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Adegbite said: “The Chinese are the main culprits in the illegal mining activities and we are going to meet with the Chinese Embassy.
“We are going to present all the facts to them so that it will not appear as if we are targeting them unfairly.
“Taking gold out of Nigeria illegally is economic sabotage because if you look at the quantum, the value is huge.”
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