The Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof) Chike Edozien, has lamented the daily security threat and environmental pollution the students of College of Education (Tech), Asaba, are going through occasioned by the alleged illegal laterite mining being carried out by the School”s Provost, Prof. Josephine Anene-Okeakwa, within the location granted to the community for his dream project on Vocational training institute.
The Asagba made the call after it was discovered that the land has now been overtaken by the activities of miners which has caused a security threat to students of the College.
A report on the ugly development was made to the Minister of Works and Housing in Abuja sometime in 2022 and the then Minister directed an inspection of the area which was conducted by the officers sent from the Ministry.
With the alleged massive excavation of sand going on, ESIA and Big C in a bid to assist the people of Asaba in recovering the land created an access route to the facility which enabled security operatives from the Delta State Police Command to storm the area to stop the illegal miners from further carrying out their nefarious activities in the land.
They also arrested some of the illegal miners on site and scene excavating large portion of laterites from the land designated for the Asaba vocational training school under a high tension national grid.
Some of the miners who were arrested confessed to the crime while others are currently at large as the police recovered ID card handsets and batteries of two vehicles
The two sister companies Big C Estate and ESIA Global Services Limited have been supportive of the Federal Government in the process of recovering the devastated land.
The companies promised to assist the revered Asaba monarch to actualize his dream of establishing a vocational institute, and a police post including a police barrack to further enhance security in the location.
As a result of the activities of the illegal miners which led to the collapse of the fence of the Federal College Technical, some students have been allegedly raped while others have been robbed of their valuables due to the exposure caused by the damaged fence which resulted in the influx of hoodlums.
The case is currently being investigated by the Inspector General of Police.
