Biase Youths Take A Bold Step Over Her Mining Site

BIASE YOUTHS PLAN REVOLT OVER MINING SITE…

This video is the site of the ongoing tourmaline mining in Umai, Akpet Central, in Biase Local Government of Cross River State. The LGA has large deposits of the precious stone.

The guy on dark glasses going around with a military man in the video is the immediate landlord of the mining site. He is, Godwin Urom Ibe, popularly known as Bello Bintu, a former motor park unionist. The land where the mining site is, belongs to his late father.

Sources say he is so excited with his sudden wealth that he doesn\’t bother about the environmental impact and other such major issues in a project as this. Sometime ago, the community lost about 7 youths who got consumed when the land slided and buried them alive. But Bintu Bello and his family members, now cruise around in SUVs.

A certain company with the acronym AAY got a mining licence and are responsible for the presence of the military men on the site. The military were brought in when police and civil defence couldn\’t control the locals who consistently invade the site for illegal mining because nothing was coming to them. But there are allegations of military molestation by the locals, who also say the clan head, Chief Sunday Evong Uti aka Sunny Parker, is in cohort with AAY and the State government to short change the community from benefiting.

The youths of the community have held series of meetings planning a revolt since the Chief, who now drives a new Toyota Highlander SUV, courtesy of the mining company, has refused to tell the community what their benefit is.