NUMW and MAN expresses dismay over Nigerian police officers attack on gold dealers in Minna
By Awwal Umar Kontagora.
The Nigeria Union of Mine Workers and the Miners Association of Nigeria, Niger State Chapters have expressed their sadness over a raid by Nigerian police officers on the traders, where they arrested eleven people and confiscated their properties
The groups expressed their frustration in a joint meeting they called at the NUMW state secretariat on Monday morning, this week.
In his statement, the Chairman of NUMW of Niger state, Comr. Musa Adamu Nasko said that the government has launched a taskforce committee that MARUFAWA Concept is responsible for identifying companies and members of our group to generate tax/revenue for the government, after we have cooperated with the government, now the police officers from Area Command in the city of Minna raided some of our dealers and confiscated their properties and tools.
” We have organized this joint meeting to find a solution to this intrusion of police officers, should we pay the registration fees that the state government has asked us to pay, or pay dues to Nigerian Police? Because we are cooperating with the company that has been entrusted with the responsibility of managing the project, but also like the police officers are sabotaging the effort.
Eleven people were arrested, we paid bail for one person from ninety four to ninety six thousand before they were released.
However, the goods that were confiscated by the police needs to be returned to their owners, some of them had their money confiscated apart from the bail money, some of them had the gold found in their shops confiscated, and some of them had their work equipment confiscated. All these were confiscated by the police.
Horn. Yusuf Shu’aibu Mami, the acting chairman of the MAN Association in Niger state, encouraged the the two sister groups to supported the state government in registering with these companies, so that they can certify them and issue certificate of approval from the state government, and to achieve this, they must abide by the laws and regulations of the government.
On the issue of this intrusion by the police officers, in our opinion, it is unlawful, because the police have no jurisdiction over the miners, and what did they arrest them for, and whose pocket will they put the money they took? Therefore, we will take our lawyers through all the necessary methods to protect the reputation of our members.
Investigation has shown that before the launch of this taskforce by the state government, every shop owner was paying Operation Flush #750, 0000 per month while with the arrival of this taskforce committee, all these scandals have stopped.
The state government has said that everyone who has been assessed will pay the state government fifty thousand naira a year, while every other person will pay five thousand naira monthly.
Our correspondent’s investigation revealed that this is the fourth time that the security forces have attacked miners after the lifting of the ban by the state government.
Barr. Sulaiman, the lawyer of MARUFAWA Concepts, asked the two groups to continue to cooperate with the state government, and we will make sure that it will not happen again, the police took them away, we will make sure we get them back.
The CEO of MARUFAWA Concept, distanced his company from cooperating with the police officers in making the intrusion, he said that with the attitude of resistance we are getting in refusing to come out to check and verify, we have a good understanding with these two groups, and we will make sure we continue to work together to achieve success.
The company has attracted the NUMW and MAN members to continue to support their groups in obtaining a membership card that will enable them defend their groups if any police or government officials do wrong.
