C’River Forestry commission boss, Oben-Etchi decries spate of illegal mining by foreigners

From Ene Asuquo,Calabar

The Chairman of cross river state forestry Commission, George Oben-Etchi has revealed that 80% of the state forest reserve have been depleted by foreigners.

He also expressed displeasure over massive mining activity on-going at the Cross River National Park by foreigners purported to be citizens of Chad and Niger Republic.

Oben-Etchi, stated this while answering questions from conservationists during a round table discussion with stakeholders at Transcorp Hotel in Calabar.

In a one day workshop organized by environmental protection organization called “We The People”, with the theme: Fostering Strategies and Partnerships for Forest Protection in Cross River, the group called for caution to avoid destroying the forest which is linked to climate change.

The forestry commission chairman maintained that these foreign nationals in conjunction with Nigerians from northern parts of the country were the perpetrators of illegal mining of precious stones and wood logging on-going at the national park.

He said that the miners are heavily armed to the extent that they intimidate citizens of the local communities in Akamkpa local government area which has become a hot bed for illegal Mining activities in recent times.

O’ben etchi maintained that at different occasions, the heavily armed miners collaborate with some local community youths to overpower security agents who dire attempt to chase them out from the mining sites.

“These foreigners are heavily armed with far more sophisticated armaments”.

“I remember when we moved with armed security men to dislodge them, it was our state security officials that advised us not to move further because they had superior firepower.”

Also speaking, a conservator the National Park, Rebecca Ikpeme, decried the invasion of the protected areas in the state by strange elements whose nativity is yet to be known.

“The illegal miners don’t have traceable identities. They are armed. Several times we have arrested some of them but ‘some Alhajis’ would intervene and get them released.

“Illegal mining is a big problem because the miners would come with official licenses.

The executive director, Mr. Ken Henshaw, stated that his organization and other CSOs are not happy with the activities of illegal mining and wood logging, which is on-going in the state, calling for caution so that the biodiversity of the state would not be destroyed.

“Cross River state is experiencing the fastest spate of forest loss globally.

” Apart from logging, other factors including the expansion ofcommercial plantations have been highly complicit in forest loss. The impacts have been overwhelming.

“The climate change mitigation capacities of Cross River State have been significantly reduced, the wildlife population has reduced on account of forest loss and the state has lost vast opportunities in conservation-related economic activities.” He maintained.