Niger Uncovers Chinese firm in illegal felling of trees

By Wasilat Ahmad

As the Niger state government suspended mining activities recently due to environmental degradation, a Chinese firm is said to be involved in illegal wood production.
The state taskforce on forestry protection has said it caught the firm in a forest.
The firm according to the Coordinator of the Taskforce, Honorable Isah Lanpene, is in operation for over one year and it is located inside a forest in Gulu, Lapai local government area of the state.
NatureNews gathered that the firm was felling trees in the forest, processing same and transporting it to Lagos in containers for shipment outside the country without paying revenue to the state.
Lanpene who confirmed the discovery to NatureNews in Minna disclosed that the Chinese had formed a syndicate in deforestation in Niger state.
He added that the company was found out after surveillance and monitoring.
“The factory is located in the bush in Lapai local government area and we discovered that they have been operating for over one year and nobody knew they were there until we moved in to arrest them.
“To arrest them was not easy, I had to sleep in the bush for two days because we were monitoring them.
“We were able to succeed in the raid and we arrested them,” he explained.
He lamented that the company was operating against the law of the land, adding that “they did not have a licence, they do not pay any tax for being in the bush, they have no evidence of tax paid, I am even sure they are in the country illegally because no one knew if they were operating in that bush.”
The coordinator added that they discovered two standby generators, several machines used for cutting and refining the wood, containers and trucks used in conveying the containers to Lagos in the bush.
Lapene said the agency shut down the place but expressed regret that the Chinese fled.
According to him, “After shutting down the place, we arrested the Chinese but before we could take them to court, they fled after they were released on bail.”
Lanpene said that the company has been shut down and the government will decide what to do with the company for the benefit of Nigerlites.
NatureNews learnt that all the forests along Lambata-Lapai-Agaie road in the state are now shadow of themselves as there are no more trees in the bush but only along the road to deceive passersby.
This it was gathered contributed greatly to the flood experienced in the state as some of the economic trees whose roots usually held the soil were completely uprooted.