I’ve been receiving thr£@ts for saying powerful Nigerians are responsible for illegal mining, banditry and t£rrorism — Alake

Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, says he has been receiving th£@ts since he disclosed that powerful Nigerians behind illegal mining are those sponsoring banditry and kidn@ppings in the country.

Speaking in Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday, January 22, the minister said: “I said it during my Ministry’s budget defence at the National Assembly that powerful Nigerians are behind the banditry associated with illegal minings in the country.

I said it openly. However, since I made the disclosure, I have been receiving thr£@ts but we are undaunted because it has to be said.

In any case, I was not saying anything new. Most people knew it. Most people have been saying it. I only gave it an official stamp based on the intelligence report.

There is a lot of connivance among the strata of the society, both the high, medium and low. It is not an exclusive preserve of just the high up.“