By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
The Brigadier General Jeremiah Faransa Rtd, led Taraba State Special Task force on Illegal Mining and Deforestation, on Saturday razed the state government brand new mining equipment procured by Governor Agbu Kefas.
Mr David Matsai, the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Solid Mineral Resources, told our correspondent that he we will reserve comment on the action of the Faransa-led task force until governor Kefas returns from his trip to Jalingo.
“Yes, the brand new mining machines destroyed by the Gen. Jeremiah Faransa led Taraba state Special Task force on Illegal Mining and Deforestation, are property of Taraba State Government. They were procured by Governor Agbu Kefas through my Bureau, the Bureau for Solid Mineral Resources, and we were directed by the governor to take the machines to the mining site at Akwana, Wukari local government.
“But I will reserve my comment for now until governor Kefas returns from his trip back to Jalingo before everyone would know the truth about the matter. I am not answerable to General Faransa,” the Permanent Secretary confirmed.
Meanwhile, the task force officials blamed the state government for communication gap.
Mr Ibrahim Zuppai, the spokesperson for the task force claimed that the task force thought the equipment belongs to illegal miners who normally run on siting them during operations.
“We are not aware that the state government purchased such equipment. We were out that day for our normal routine operations. It was after the operation that we started hearing stories that those equipment belong to the government.
“The fault is from the Bureau for Solid Mineral Development, I learned they were asked to take the equipment to Wukari local government Secretariat but they moved them to the mining site without briefing the task force Chairman, general Faransa. This is not the first time we are burning equipment at mining sites
“In most cases, these illegal miners run on siting us during operations, so in order to stop them from returning to the sites, we set their equipment ablaze. The Saturday’s exercise that affect the governmet who formed the task force was not the first destruction exercise we have carried out since inaugurated in June 2023,” Zuppai, the task force spokesperson defended.
Meanwhile, locals in the area said, general Jeremiah Faransa who leads the team of military officers destroyed the multi billion naira brand new Taraba State Government mining machines, was approached and briefed that the machines were government property but he turned deaf ears and ordered his men to burn down the machines, stating that government did not inform him of such development.
Mr. Clement Hinku, an eye witness told our correspondent that Faransa and his men stormed the mining site on Saturday with fuel in five 25 litres jerrican and ordered the army officers to burn down everything at sight.
“They came with five 25 litres jerrican of fuel and he (General Faransa), asked them to burn down every thing at the mining site. We approached him and told him that the machines belongs to state government but he said it was not true. He told us that the governor and the Bureau did not brief him that such equipment have been procured. We insisted that the Bureau Permanent Secretary led the government’s team that brought the machines to the site but he rather asked us to stay away from him before his boys, the army officers would turn against us.
“They burnt two excavators, drilling machines, sound proof Mikano generators, pumping machines, detecting machines, motorcycles and other mining equipment,” Hinku narrated.
