Scores of gold miners staged a protest along the Jabaka federal highway over what they described as “incessant intimidation by government security forces” in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara, North West Nigeria.
The protest was staged for about six hours on Thursday, Feb. 6, by local groups and associations of gold miners from Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina states. The miners accused the Nigerian security operatives of attacking them occasionally just as terrorists would do.
Shafiu Garba, a local miner from the Yarkatsina village in Maru, told HumAngle that they do not go to the farm because terrorists denied them access. They resorted to local mining after obtaining liecense from authorities.
“This is how we survive the torments brought by the incessant challenges of the present high cost of living and the uncontrollable inflation in the land,” Shafiu complained. “These security officers in police and MOPOL uniforms always come to our mining site, arresting our labourers and imposing on us illegal levies; they pocket the money they charge us to pay.”
He added that security operatives came with their patrol vehicles to seize dozens of motorcycles and valuables, shooting sporadically in the air and kidnapping their co-workers – “as if they were terrorists”.
Thousands of travellers from Kogi, Abuja, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger States, and Niger Republic were stranded and stuck for five hours after the protesters blocked the major highway, causing potential chaos.
Hauwa Ibrahim, one of such travellers, described how they were intercepted by the aggrieved protesters, saying, “We can see the gold miners with their local cutlasses swinging into mob action and demonstrations blocking the federal highway. They were voicing to the Nigerian government security forces in chorus, chanting, bring back our stolen bikes and valuables.”
Reacting to the incident, Yazid Abubakar, Police Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Command, described the demonstration as “illegal mob action that would be addressed in earnest”.
“We deployed security operatives to the scene for investigation over the claims and objections the miners alleged against the personnel of the security operatives,” he noted.
Gold miners in Zamfara, Nigeria, protested on the Jabaka federal highway against alleged extortion and intimidation by government security forces. The miners, from states like Zamfara and Katsina, accused security operatives of acting like terrorists, arresting laborers, and demanding illegal levies.
The protest lasted six hours and created significant disruption, leaving thousands of travelers stranded.
The miners demanded the return of seized motorcycles and valuables. In response, the Zamfara Police labeled the protest as illegal and launched an investigation into the miners’ claims.