Veteran Nigerian rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem, has reacted to recent
killings of residents in Zamfara State by bandits as well as the Federal
Government’s suspension of mining activities in the state.
Recall that the Federal Government yesterday announced a total ban on mining activities in Zamfara State and its environs due to the recent violence in the state.
According to the Inspector-General of the Police, Mohammed Adamu, the
decision is part of fresh measures to restore peace and curb the menace
of banditry in the state.
In his reaction, Abdulkareem threw his weight behind the decision of
the Federal Government; claiming that the rising spate of banditry in
Zamfara State was due to the activities of a cartel dealing in gold
illegally mined in the state.
He described the illegal mining activity in the Northwest state as another “Blood Diamond“ movie in the making,
The rapper went further to urge the government to go after those in
charge of the mining sites, their couriers and middlemen in Dubai.
Eedris, a former member of defunct group – The Remedies, posted on
his Instagram page an image of a gold mining site and wrote; “The
goodies in Zamfara that people are being killed for while a blind eye is
being turned.
“Go to Dubai many shops are owned by Nigerians. There major business
supplying this gold. While going after the bandits, go after those in
charge of the sites, their couriers and middlemen in Dubai. The trail is
long and the links strong. Hope the political will is there.
“The illegality of the whole business is what is fueling the crisis.
Mining should only be done on mining leases. Leases are surveyed and
mapped out on land recognized by government upon which mineral resources
are extracted and consequently taxed.
“What is happening in Zamfara is illegal mining, the gold is smelted
locally and ferried to Dubai through the local gold merchants in our
markets.
“They are recorded as scrapped gold extracted from jewelry bought
from our women and recycled. It is a big cartel making millions of
dollars off the blood of the innocent.
“ANOTHER BLOOD DIAMOND REALITY MOVIE IN THE MAKING…”
