On social media, many Nigerians have voiced their opposition to “illegal mining” in the villages of Lagos and Osun.
The demonstrators said that Chinese miners had elevated themselves to the position of lords over Nigeria’s natural riches and used the hashtag #StopChineseIllegalMining on Twitter to express their anger.
Additionally, they requested that the relevant government organizations monitor the operations of the miners in the Lagos and Osun areas.
“Marching with pride to defend our environment and soil. It’s time to stop Chinese illicit mining since it’s gotten out of hand. We can achieve equilibrium if we work together, a tweet said.
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Residents of Osun villages have already voiced their displeasure with Chinese illegal mining activities, which continued to present a serious concern.
Residents of the Opa hamlet in Osun accused a group of Chinese miners of environmental violations and encroachment on their property in December 2020.
The suspected gold-seeking miners had acquired a tiny plot of land next to a creek from a local chief.
According to accounts in national newspapers, they eventually extended their mining operations to other areas of the neighborhood, excavating near to some homes and resulting in damage and floods.
The locals said that despite their efforts to stop the miners, the armed police officers manning the site disregarded them and threatened them.
Residents of the impacted villages claim that despite Gboyega Oyetola, the previous governor of Osun State, making a pledge to control miners’ operations in the state in 2019, nothing has been accomplished.
To curb criminality and environmental damage, it was intended to register every miner working in the state.
Residents are still griping about the unlawful activity and the terrible suffering it has proceeded to load upon them three years later.
Numerous media sites also claimed that some quarry owners got into arguments with locals who were upset over unauthorized mining activity in their neighborhood.
The quarry operators were accused by the locals of blasting rocks carelessly, resulting in air pollution, noise disruption, and structure damage.
Residents continue to find justifications to demand that illicit miners, mostly Chinese, be halted, despite the quarry owners’ constant denials of the accusations and assertions that they had secured the required permissions and approvals from the government and the traditional ruler.