The National President of Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), Kabir Kankara, says miners in Zamfara state do not have a link with bandits, but only victims of circumstances.
Kankara said this while reacting to the ban on mining activities in Zamfara State by the Federal Government.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday declared Zamfara State a no-fly-zone and placed a ban on mining activities in the state, due to the upsurge in bandit activities.
Kankara said: “We are in line with any measure proffered by the Federal Government to forestall insecurity in Zamfara.
“Yes, our mining activities occur in the bush but we do not have links with bandits, we are just victims of circumstance.”
The MAN leadership said miners were not against any measures taken to forestall insecurity in the country, but urged the Federal to take steps to ensure that artisan miners do not encroach into sites belonging to mining title holders during the period of the ban.
