Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, has acknowledged that he has been the target of death threats due to his remarks regarding banditry linked to illicit mining in Nigeria.
During a Monday visit to the explosion scene in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, he verified this.
Last Tuesday, an explosion occurred on Adeyi Avenue in Bodija, Ibadan. 58 houses were damaged, 77 people were injured in varied degrees, and five people were confirmed deceased.
Since he made remarks at the National Assembly regarding the involvement of influential and well-placed Nigerians in illicit mining, Alake claimed,
In defense of the budget in the House of Representatives or Senate, the minister declared, “I did say categorically to the whole world that powerful Nigerians are behind the banditry associated with illegal miners in this country,” according to the transcript.
Since these things must be said, we are unfazed by the threats I received for saying it out. Besides, most people already knew what I was saying, so I wasn’t saying anything new.
“I just officially validated what many others had been stating based on intelligence reports. Thus, there is a great deal of collusion between the upper, middle, and lower classes in society.
It is not limited to the use of a tall hut. It cuts through all social classes. This is a social issue, and I did mention in that budgetary defense meeting that we were utilizing a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic plans and tactics. I am unable to provide the specifics to the public at this time since doing so would be counterproductive.
However, he asserted that in order to stop the illegal miners’ operations, the federal government is coordinating with all relevant state, local, and host community authorities.