Cross River Task Force Arrests 10 Illegal Miners

Cross River State Anti-Illegal Mining Task Force has arrested 10 suspected illegal miners in Yakurr local government area.

The chairman of the Task Force, Prince Paul Effiong, disclosed this during an interactive session with LEADERSHIP yesterday in Calabar.

The suspects are said to be non-indigenes of the state but found involved in illegal mining around Yakurr local government area in the Central Senatorial District of the state.

Effiong stressed that the taskforce under his watch would do everything within its reach to close all loopholes in the state’s mining sector.

He stressed that no amount of intimidation from powerful individuals involved in illegal mining can make the taskforce succumb to intimidation and be compromised.

Recalled that the Task Force chairman had been involved in a legal tussle with a former member representing Akamkpa/Biase federal constituency over the seizure of his mining equipment worth N200m and alleged invasion of his mining site.

The former representative had in suit No. FHC/PHC/CS/147/2025 Port Harcourt Federal High court, dragged the Cross River State Anti-illegal Mining Taskforce chairman to court for sealing his mining site at Akamkpa.

But Effiong , who said the suit does not perturb him, vowed to continue the campaign against illegal mining and claimed that Illegal mining activities are causing environmental degradation, deforestation, water pollution, and land degradation in the affected communities of Yakurr, Akamkpa, Biase, Boki, Obubra, Ikom, and Obanliku.