The disagreement between the cartels that are involved in
illegal mining in Zamfara is responsible for the lingering crisis and killings
in the state Dennis Amachree, a former Assistant Director of the Department of
State Services (DSS) said.
“There are cartels there and most of the fighting you see
there are fights between different cartels.” He said that illegal mining of
mineral resources was a main cause of the violence in the state.
Speaking on Channel Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, he
said: “The disagreements between the cartels were taking a toll on the state,
resulting in the death of innocent people. Many people don’t know; what we see
is fighting, killing, and all the rest. But the undermining issue there is the
illegal mining of minerals.
It thinks we have a serious problem in Zamfara and I think
it’s basically a lack of governance. I can tell you, the kind of money that is
coming out of the illegal mining is more than what oil is giving us
today.”
He regretted that despite the security reports forwarded to
government authorities in the state by intelligence agencies, the situation was
worsening. According to him, the present issue of illegal mining in the state
is escalating and it involves a lot of people, including some foreigners.
He described the situation as “a big market” in which
natural resources such as gold and diamond were carted out of the country
illegally. “I have personal experiences
where minerals are being carted out of this country without any control,”
Amachree said. Scores of people –
including residents, bandits, and security officials – have lost their lives
this year as a result of the activities of the criminal elements.
