Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, yesterday, described the 15-year jail term handed to Ansaru commander, Mahmud Usman, as a landmark victory in the country’s ongoing war against illegal mining.
On Thursday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, convicted Usman and sentenced him to prison while also ordering that he face trial on 31 other terrorism-related charges.
Commending the judiciary for supporting efforts of the ministry to crush illegal mining, Alake said the verdict has finally established that bandits engage in illegal mining to fund their operations.
“It is gratifying for me that the judiciary is aligned with the ministry’s objective of zero tolerance for illegal mining. Further tightening of the noose around illegalities in mining continues as more drastic measures will be announced shortly,” he said.
Alake said the ministry would monitor proceedings of the remaining 31 cases of terrorism against the convict, noting that the regulatorshave a lot to learn from these cases to improve their capacity to counter illegal mining.
In a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Segun Tomori, the minister also lauded the Directorate of State Services (DSS) for the yeoman’s job of monitoring, detecting, and arresting terrorists to face the wrath of the law.
Translated as the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, the Ansaru group is facing court charges for attacking the Nigerian Army Wawa Cantonment and raiding Kuje Prisons, Abuja, in 2022, among other terrorist activities.
