Zamfara Goldfields Not Owned by Government, Commissioner Reveals

The Commissioner for Ministry of Solid Minerals in Zamfara, Dr. Nuruddeen Isa, has said that the state government has no ownership rights of any gold field in the state.

Dr Isa made the disclosure while addressing journalists on Wednesday, stressing that contrary media reports, the state government was not directly involved in any mining activities.

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“The state government doesn’t own any portion of the goldfields throughout the state and is not involved in mining activities,” Dr Isa said.

He explained the state government only usually buys the gold from illegal miners in a bid to prevent the commodity from being smuggled out of the country or sold out to bandits.

“What the state government does is to buy the gold so that it doesn’t fall into wrong hands who in return sell it outside the country and purchase weapons for the bandits,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Isa revealed that the state government has posed a ban on mining activities in the state, saying, “anybody who wants to venture into mining activities should obtain a permit from the federal government”.

According to him, mineral resources belonged to the country, and as such, whoever wants to engage in mining activities must obtain a license from the Federal government.