Mr Faransa said the illegal miners arrested were from Mali, Senegal, Chad, Zamfara and other part of the country.

The Taraba Task Force on the Enforcement of Ban on Illegal Mining and Deforestation has arrested 3,500 illegal miners in Bali Local Government Area of the state.

Retired Brig.-Gen. Jeremiah Faransa, the task force chairman, disclosed this in an interview on Monday in Jalingo, the state capital.

Mr Faransa said the illegal miners arrested were from Mali, Senegal, Chad, Zamfara and other part of the country.

He noted that the state was richly blessed with abundant natural resources begging to be harnessed for the benefit of the locals, the state, and the country.

“This beautiful atmosphere endowed by nature is being threatened by the activities of some unauthorised people through illegal mining.

“These illegal miners take home billions of naira on a daily basis at the expense of the locals. They damage the ecosystem and environment, which will have multiple effects on the future of the state.

“Dogon Yatsu is an unmotorable thick forest which has become their new abode where they extract mineral resources of various kinds,” he said.

Mr Faransa said a mobile court had prosecuted the arrested suspects, and they were being punished accordingly.

He reiterated the determination of the special task force to safeguard the state and its environment from illegal miners’ encroachment by leaving no stone unturned.