Reps Express Concern About The Increase In Foreign Illegal Miners In Benue

The invasion of local and foreign illegal miners into Benue State has alarmed the House of Representatives.

According to the Green Chamber, if the pattern continues, Benue would turn into the next hotspot for banditry, much like Zamfara State, where illegitimate gold mining contributed to the rise in insecurity.

In order to evaluate the security situation in the Middle Belt and the Nigerian-Cameroonian Border areas of Benue, the House requested the assistance of the National Security Adviser and the security services.

The parliamentarians also ordered the security organizations to take prompt, proactive efforts to prevent the Middle Belt's peace and security from further deteriorating.

The House's resolution followed the approval of a motion on the urgency of action needed to address the refugee issue between Nigeria and Cameroon, as well as banditry and the environmental damage brought on by the discovery and mining of gold in Kwande Local Government in Benue State.

Terseer Ugbor made the motion during Tuesday's plenary session.

The member who proposed the motion stated that Kwande LGA is bordered to the north by Cameroon, to the east by Cross River, and to the west by Taraba.

Ugbor noted that the Cameroonian refugees have lived in Ikyogen Cattle Ranch for more than five years and have a population of over 12,000 as they continue to reproduce, grow, and integrate into Nigerian society. They previously resided in Menev Ward before coming there.

He emphasized that due to the internal issue between neighboring towns, 16 people have died over the past three days along the Ugbema-Jato Aka road.

According to him, a refugee crisis developed at the Nigeria-Cameroon border in Kwande LGA as a result of the conflict between the Cameroonian military and the Ambazonian separatist rebels.

He expressed regret that the local government had been subjected to violent attacks known as farmers-herders confrontations, which left many local residents dead, seriously injured, or without a place to live and without access to farms or other means of income for more than ten years, particularly the residents of Turan and Ikyurav-ya districts.

He said: "Many of these refugees have obtained the Nigerian Identity Number (NIN) ID Card thereby making them now Nigerians without formal proclamation.

"They now seek voting rights - to be allowed to vote and be voted for.

"Also I am aware that over the last several years another dimension to the insecurity in Benue and particularly in Kwande local government has been the discovery of Gold, Lithium and other precious minerals.

"The influx of local and foreign illegal miners infiltrating the region has caused daily security unrest, environmental pollution and possible food crisis as most able-bodied young men and women have abandoned their farmlands for mining sites.

"If this trend is left unchecked, Benue will become the next banditry hotspot just like the case of Zamfara State over the last several years due to the illegal gold mining."