The Ondo government says it uncovered “illegal sand mining sites” in the suburb of Akure. 

The State’s Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) monitoring team busted some illegal miners in the early hours of Thursday.  

Oyeniyi Oseni, the special adviser to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on environmental matters, led the SEPA team to the sites.

Mr Oseni decried the level of damage done to the area.

“We are reading the riot act to the mining operatives while informing them that the government would no longer tolerate any deviation from extant regulations and operational guidelines as applicable to sand mining activities in the state,” stated the government official.

He added, “The state’s environmental protection agency team will aggressively monitor activities of sand miners to enforce operational ethics and protocols to protect the environment, lives and properties of the citizens.”

Mr Oseni later met with the leadership of associations involved in sand mining, including the Association of Sand Quarry Operators and Suppliers (ASQOSOS), Union of Tipper, Quarry Employee of Nigeria (UTQEN) and the Seriki Hausawa of Shasha market, Shehu Ibrahim Dangari. 

While urging the group to obtain the necessary permit from the agency, Mr Oseni warned them to desist from digging below the permissible level and always to cover their sand-laden trucks.