Enugu State Government has sealed
Ogbakiri- Ugwogo illegal coal mining site Mkponato, Mkpologu, in Uzo-Uwanu Local Government Area of the state, warning operators to desist from the illegal operations or face the law.
Pix- Sealing of the site
Special Adviser to the Governor on Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Kingsley Nnaji, gave the warning Tuesday, after sealing the site . He warned that no mining activity should take place there until the operators come to the office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Energy and Mineral Resources to validate their documents.
Pix: SPA ,Energy and Mineral Resources,
He said, ” We are sealing this site and leaving a warning here that no mining operation will take place , until the operators come to ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to validate their documents.. So, this site is sealed until they come.and identify themselves. We are a combined team of the officials of the Ministry of Environment and officials of Energy and Mineral Resources,”.
Pix- Nnaji
Nnaji, handed over the security of the site to Ezeugwu Alphonsus, leader of a local vigilante group in the town, and asked him not to allow the operators to carry out any activity there until they come for validation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. He added that if they failed to do that and still continued with the illegal mining at the site, they will be arrested, prosecuted and their equipment confiscated, “there is a court order to that”, he said
Nnaji told Ezeugwu to also tell the operators not to remove the seal .
Pix- The. Ogbakiri- Ugwogo illegal coal mining site
Evidences of mining operations at the site were seen and samples taken . No arrest was made as operators deserted the site, .
Author: Maureen Ikpeama