Oyo govt shuts illegal mining factory, arrests suspects

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has announced the arrest of individuals involved in the illegal processing of mined minerals at a facility in Idi-Ayunre in Oluyole Local Government Area of the state.

Makinde made the disclosure in a post on his X handle on Saturday.

According to him, the operation came as part of ongoing efforts to prevent incidents like the Bodija explosion, which resulted in casualties and property damage in January.

The governor also ordered the arrest of four persons suspected to be operating at the site, noting that they operated against the approved licence secured from the government for business operations in the state.

“In our efforts to prevent a recurrence of the Bodija incident, we were at Idi-Ayunre, following a tip off about a facility which was being used to process illegally mined minerals.

“I can report that those involved have been arrested and are in custody and we are working to prosecute them.

“Our government has also taken over the facility pending the investigations and prosecution.

“We were able to apprehend the culprits because the government and citizens worked together in a timely manner to bust their operations,” Makinde wrote in his post.