Over 500 illegal miners were arrested in an unauthorised local camp in Ondo State.
The illegal miners allegedly penetrated the state from the northern part of the country.
The Mines Officer in the Ondo State office of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Silas Godwin, confirmed the arrest of the suspects to journalists in Akure on Thursday.
He explained that the Special Mines Surveillance Taskforce bursted the location of the suspects at Okeigbo in Ile Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government of the state.
He said the illegal activities of the miners were noticed based on the intelligence information obtained from the members of the communities, who had been lamenting the damages done on their lands.
Mr. Godwin said that no responsible government would watch its land being destroyed and degraded by unauthorised persons seeking personal gains and benefits.
"By the time we got the information, we moved into the site and we arrested them working without the Ministry of Mines backing law.
"From the information we got from them now, they said they were looking for Gold but we will verify this by the time we commence investigation," Godwin said.
Godwin also said that both the state and federal government were ready to take appropriate step to stop illegal gold mining anywhere in the country.
According to him, illegal mining had become a source of worry to the government and if not properly checked it could lead to both environmental and health problems.
"Anybody that wants to go into mining should know that it must be backed by law and due process because there are laid down guidelines for them to venture into mining," he added.
He added that those arrested in the site would be investigated to know their sponsors brought to book.
One of the suspects, Awalu Salisu revealed that he was a labourer in the site and was contracted from the north for the illegal mining job.
