CurrentReport Blog In a decisive move to enforce environmental protection laws, the Chairman of the Special Taskforce Committee on Environmental Protection, Public Safety, and Prohibition of Deforestation, retired General Jeremiah Aliyu Faransa, has set fire to an illegal mining camp in Akwana village, Wukari Local Government Area.
This action follows Governor Agbu Kefas’ Executive Order, which bans all forms of mining activities in Taraba State. The Executive Order, aimed at curbing environmental degradation and promoting public safety, has faced resistance from illegal miners operating in the region.
During the weekend operation, Faransa, accompanied by taskforce members, torched the mining camp that had continued to operate in defiance of the Executive Order. “Despite several warnings, the illegal miners in the area refused to adhere to the Executive Order issued by His Excellency Governor Agbu Kefas,” Faransa stated. “I will not hesitate to set ablaze any mining camp that turns down the Executive Order of Governor Agbu Kefas in the best interest of the state.”
In addition to the camp’s destruction, the taskforce arrested three suspected miners who were present at the site. Faransa confirmed that these individuals would face prosecution before the Special Mobile Court on Environmental Protection, Public Safety, and Prohibition of Deforestation.