ICIR
Despite the presence of terror groups — Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the bandits’ faction of Dogo Gide — illegal mining activities continued in Kurebe and other surrounding villages, even after many residents deserted the axis following double-edged attacks from the military and terrorists.
Claiming to have acted upon intelligence, the Nigerian Air Force killed at least 14 villagers in Kurebe, including minor girls and a woman. The operations in April and August last year mistargeted the unharmed locals, leaving the terrorists unhurt.
The survivors of the military attacks fled to Udawa, a neighbouring community in Kaduna, and other places in Niger State. But the terrorists stayed back, making money from the illegal mining activities and demanding little from farmers who fell prey to them at times.
A local miner, *Yeri, believes the terrorists demanded less from their victims because they get more money from the mining activities. Two other local miners corroborated him but were afraid of speaking [in detail] about it.
Into the dark world of terrorism funding
Local miners who worked with the companies explained that there are three mining sites in the axis — one at Maikanwa, another at Santali and the other at Dagbace. One of the mined stones, Konzites, would be packaged in cement sacks and transported to Udawa, later to Lagos and finally, to China. The transportation chain was confirmed in a video obtained by Wikki Times.
On many occasions, the terrorists had seized the mined stones and stalled operations until they were bribed with millions of naira and motorcycles, the local miners revealed.
“When we finished excavating, the terrorists would not allow us to take the stones out until they were given money amounting to N5 million or more,” *Yeri disclosed.
“The owners of the companies would be notified, and the money would be gathered for the terrorists,” he added. “It’s a recurring event; even motorcycles were taken to them. That’s the truth, but they don’t want it to be exposed, and they don’t want it to end.”
Miners dialogued with Dogo Gide’s mother
Yeri revealed how delegates were sent to dialogue with Dogo Gide’s mother at Palalli, a village where she gave birth to the kingpin about thirty years ago, WikkiTimes gathered.
“They visited Dogo Gide’s mother, and they discussed with her to talk to her son to allow people to do their work…,” he recalled. “At first, we were afraid of them, but now it has become part of us. We are no longer afraid of them. As I am talking to you now, I swear to God, even if it’s a hundred of them on the road, I will go.”
This was not the first time the terror kingpin’s mother would intercede between civilians and her terror son. She had done that many times, locals, including community leaders said. For instance, she took part in the negotiation for the release of students kidnapped from Federal Government College, Yauri in Kebbi state.
In an audio clip exclusively obtained by WikkiTimes, Ibrahim Usman Adam, one of the leading actors involved in coordinating illegal mining in the axis, confessed the dialogue with the terror kingpin’s mother before operations could begin at the sites.
Ibrahim, according to local miners, doubles as site manager for Eso Terra.
The mining company, trying to exonerate itself, stopped paying from its pocket; forcing local miners into hard labour to extract stones that would be sold to grease the terrorists’ palms.
“So the bandits were paid N3 million every week,” one of the local miners said.
When confronted with our findings on September 9, Ibrahim declined to comment. Initially, he denied affiliation with Eso Terra and Kurebe community. He would later open up when our reporter told him about the hard evidence at our disposal.
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