President Muhammadu Buhari has for the second time, blamed the banditry attacks in parts of the North-west and North-central to the rising mining activities in the region.
The president stated this yesterday evening in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu.
President Buhari had in 2019 banned all mining activities in Zamfara State which he linked to the rise in banditry.
Hundreds of persons have either been killed or kidnapped by the bandits in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa states in the past years.
There have been suspicions that the criminality is a fallout of the artisanal mining of gold, lead and other mineral resources in those areas. The statement by Shehu said the president has ordered a fresh meeting in a bid to put an end to the resurgence.
