Urban Alert charges lawmakers to curtail illegal gold mining in Osun

By Bisola Adeyemo

An Organization, ‘Urban Alert’, in Osun State has called out the state law Makers for their negligence to curtail the activities of the illegal gold miners in the state.

The Organization made the complaint on Saturday, stating that pollution of the Osun River arising from the illegal mining of gold in the Ijesa axis of the State is worrisome.

The Urban Alert Team Lead, Anthony Adejuwon, revealed that as a result of the illegal gold mining, about 20 communities that depended on the Osun River, are being threatened by the deposit of heavy metals used in the extraction of the mineral resources.

“ The pollution of the Osun River is continuously posing a life-threatening situation to about 20 communities which depend on it.

“The activities of these illegal miners is also posing a danger to the ecology and local environment of communities where such illegality is happening.

“Their illegal and unregulated actitivies pollute streams and contaminate water bodies as a result of the dangerous and harmful chemicals they use in extracting and separating the gold. Chemicals such as lead and mercury have been known to be harmful to humans when ingested.” Adejuwon said.

Urban Alert also revealed that for more than five years, illegal miners had been degrading the lands in many communities in Ijesaland unhindered, and the communities that had no connection to the illegal mining sites were now exposed to toxic elements capable of causing deformity and permanent damage to children.