Osun Council chairmen, soldiers in standoff over illegal mining crackdown

By Shina Abubakar
OSOGBO — Tension erupted on Tuesday at Ibodi in Atakunmosa West Local Government Area of Osun State as council chairmen from the Ijesa South Federal Constituency and military personnel had a confrontation during an enforcement operation against alleged illegal mining activities.
The council chairmen, accompanied by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Police Force, said they were responding to complaints from residents over environmental degradation and security concerns linked to illegal mining.
According to the chairmen, the confrontation occurred when members of the enforcement team attempted to halt the collection o...