Troops of the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army have apprehended 26 suspected illegal miners operating in various sites in Ondo State.

This comes a few days after the operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested suspected oil bunkers, illegal miners and vandals in the state.

In a statement on Saturday, the acting assistant director army public relations, Irabor Njoku, said the arrest was made possible during a raid operation following credible intelligence on the activities of the illegal miners at various sites.

Mr Njoku explained that the suspects were arrested at Vatican illegal mining sites at Gate, Modebiayo, Kokuma, Obado, Okesa, Amasiko, Adoba, Abanasiru, and Obadonu communities in the Ondo West Local Government Area.

He said troops recovered seven mobile phones, 21 head pans, four cutlasses, 12 shovels, 12 painter buckets, footrests/carpets, and a sack containing clothes.

“The clampdown on illegal miners is a clear indication that troops of 32 Artillery Brigade are totally committed to protecting Nigeria’s critical infrastructures and getting the Brigade’s Area of Responsibility (AOR) rid of all forms of criminal activities and economic sabotage.

“The Brigade appreciates the good people of Ondo state for their continuous support to troops in the area of information sharing to rid the state of all forms of criminality and other vices,” Mr Njoku added in the statement.

He noted that the illegal miners have also been handed over to the NSCDC in the state command for further investigation and prosecution.

Commending the Nigerian Army for the arrest, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources in the state, Rasak Obe, lamented over the operations of illegal miners, noting that their activities posed the tendencies of worsening insecurity in the state.