The Imo State Government has imposed an immediate and total ban on all mining and dredging activities within the Owerri Capital Territory, citing severe environmental damage caused by uncontrolled sand mining.
Commissioner for Industry, Mines and Solid Minerals, Ernest Ibejiako, announced the decision during a meeting with stakeholders in Owerri. He explained that years of unregulated mining had triggered destructive floods, soil erosion, and the collapse of key infrastructure across the city.
“Enough is enough. The government and the people of Imo can no longer sit idly by while indiscriminate activities devastate our capital territory,” Ibejiako declared.
The commissioner commended the Minister of Solid Minerals Development for swiftly sending senior federal directors to assess the situation. He revealed that Governor Hope Uzodinma’s administration, invoking Section 28 of the 1978 Land Use Act, had formally notified federal authorities and requested the revocation of all mining licences within Owerri.
Despite earlier bans in 2017 and 2019, illegal dredging continued, causing extensive degradation. “The Owerri River, once narrow, has now been dangerously widened by uncontrolled dredging,” Ibejiako lamented. “Bridges, roads, and even perimeter fences of institutions like Alvan Ikoku University have been destroyed. Communities and farmlands remain at risk, and flooding has become a daily menace.”
He warned that the government would enforce the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007 to prosecute offenders and ensure compliance with environmental standards.
“We will not, under the guise of legality or federal licensing, allow Owerri’s environment to be destroyed,” he stressed. “Let us save Owerri now, or risk losing her forever.”
Ibejiako reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to sustainable development, adding that only responsible mining outside the capital territory would be permitted, subject to Environmental Impact Assessments, Environmental Management Plans, and Community Development Agreements.