Residents, leaders and traditional rulers of Itasa, a community in Iwajowa Local Council of the Oke-Ogun axis of Oyo State, have called on the Federal Government to order a mining firm, Architype Industries (Nig.) Limited, to vacate their land.
They accused the company of operating illegally, failing to conduct a valid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and entering into mining operations without a valid Community Development Agreement (CDA).
The community said the company’s activities had endangered lives, heightened insecurity, and caused environmental damage in the area.
However, the site manager of Architype Industries, Abiodun Ogunbiyide, insisted that the company had met the necessary requirements.
“We have a valid mining licence, community consent and a title to operate here,” he said.
During a visit to the mining site, community representatives raised the alarm over what they described as the looming danger posed by the company’s continued presence in the area.
A prominent indigene of the town, Prof Bayo Aborisade, said the mining operations had empowered individuals who now intimidate and harass locals.
“They are extracting minerals from our land and empowering individuals who threaten the community. They have disrupted the land and created settlements, posing a threat to our community. We demand the removal of this mining company from our land,” he said.
Supporting the call, Chairman of Itasa Community Development Association, Alhaji Banji Isiaka Odedele, youth leader Mr Jelili Ogunlade, and Julius Farounbi, lamented that insecurity caused by the mining activities had prevented residents from farming.
A community member and lawyer, Femi Aborisade, insisted the firm had failed to meet statutory conditions.
“Architype Industries (Nig.) Ltd. is conducting illegal mining due to non-fulfilment of statutory conditions. The company has not conducted an EIA or reached a valid Community Development Agreement with the community,” he said.
Similarly, a member of the Iwajowa Local Council Legislative House, Naajeem Busari, called on the govt to intervene and stop the company’s operations.
Also speaking, the Onitile of Itasa, Oba Michael Sijuola Oyediran, said: “We want peace and we want them to do the right things for the town. If the company refuses to do the right thing for the community, it should vacate our land. But if it does the right thing, it should stay.”
Mr Olufola Awoyemi, a lawyer with the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), Ibadan, who visited the town, described the situation as more than an environmental issue.
“There are security issues and people are angry because there is a great danger to lives in Itasa and its environs. If people are not safe, they can’t go to their farms or conduct their business. JDPC has come to take this to another level so that the whole world will know what is happening in Itasa and the entire Iwajowa Local Government,” he said.
