Benue State Government on Thursday suspended mining activities in the state.
The state governor, Samuel Ortom, gave the directive at a meeting held with Kwande stakeholders at the Government House, Makurdi.
The governor said the miners’ activities had started to pose a threat to the peace of the state.
He said the state government would set up committees at the state, local government and ward levels to regulate the activities of the miners.
Ortom said, “Recent events in the Kwande Local Government Area are posing danger and threat to peace in the local government and the state in general, and this is as a result of mining activities in the area.
“We know that there are some miners with licences from the Federal Government because it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to grant licences. We know that some of the miners don’t have licences; we have foreigners and indigenous ones among them.
“As a result of the danger the activities of the miners pose in the state, we hereby suspend all mining activities in the state, including those with licences.”
The governor advised those who have licences to register with the state Ministry of Land, Survey and Solid Minerals so as to profile them.
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