By Kunle Kalejaye
The Lagos State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has commenced enforcement of rules and regulations guiding mining operations in the State.

The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Taofiq Tijani, at the inauguration of the enforcement exercise, said sand miners and dredgers found operating illegally would be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

The commissioner who led a team of the enforcement unit to monitor activities on mining and dredging sites in the Badagry axis, according to a statement by the Ministry on Tuesday, advised registered miners in the axis to form an association in order to deal with the issues of illegal miners effectively.

“Registered miners in Badagry Zone should come together and form an association so that it will be easy to identify any illegal miner whose activities are giving you a bad name, thus get yourself together within two weeks, and report back to my office on the issue of forming an association like those of your counterparts in the Ikorodu and Ibeju-Lekki axis,” he said.

He urged the registered sand miners in the axis to be alive to their responsibilities in line with the rules and regulations guiding mining activities in the State

While decrying illegal sand excavations and dredging, the commissioner vowed that those operating illegally could not escape the long arms of the law as his office and the state environmental task force had been strengthened to arrest and prosecute them.

Tijani said the State Government was ready to streamline the activities of sand miners and dredgers in the state in line with international standards.

“Government is poised to check and coordinate sand mining and dredging activities to meet acceptable international standards to avoid serious and irreparable damage to the landscape of the area apart from degradation of the environment” the commissioner said.

The enforcement exercise continued with a routine visit to identified mining sites in other parts of Lagos State.