By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
Three trailers of charcoal worth millions of Naira have been confiscated by the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA).
The Commissioner of Housing and Environment, Hon. Hamisu Shira, who disclosed this while pararding the suspects and the charcoal before journalists on Friday at the BASEPA headquarters, said that nine suspects were also arrested in connection with the prohibited act.
![](https://i0.wp.com/nationalaccordnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Nine-suspects-deforestation.png?resize=718%2C290&ssl=1)
Shira who described the incident as very sad considering the number of trees that had to be cut down before such quantity of charcoal was made lamented that the charcoal business in the state is being run by a powerful sydicate in the state.
He disclosed that there have been threats to his life by those involved in the illegal activities of tree felling saying that he has reported the matter to security agencies for action.
The Commissioner said that a Member of the Bauchi State Cabinet called him on Thursday to inform him of the movement of the trailers containing the charcoal saying he immediately called the Police Commissioner in the state who deployed his men and they arrested the suspects and confiscated the prohibited items.
![](https://i0.wp.com/nationalaccordnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Trailer-load-of-charcoal.png?resize=720%2C291&ssl=1)
“We are here to brief you on an incident that happened yesterday, it is a very sad development, something that the Ministry of Environment and BASEPA has been campaigning against for a very long time.
“One patriotic member of our cabinet called me last night that he observed a trailer load of charcoal was leaving his Constituency on its way to either Jos or Kano, and he is fully aware of the campaign and the complain I made at the last State Executive Council meeting.
“I called the Commissioner of Police and he responded immediately and directed his men to swing into action and these vehicles were followed up to Bauchi. One from our investigations, we confirmed is being taken to Maiduguri and the other two are going to Kano,” he stated.
Shira said that the charcoal business is being run by a syndicate that operates in Kaduna, Kano, Borno axis pointing out that the charcoal are exported out of the country and used for manufacturing a cigarette called Shisa which is something that must not be morally encouraged.
He said: “The suspects were arrested and they slept at the Police Station and we have a Magistrate Court within BASEPA which is already waiting to commence action. They will be tried today and there is no question of justice delayed as far as this issue is concerned, we are treating it with every seriousness.
“We must not rest on our oars but ensure that the right thing is done. I have received quite a number of threats from different people some are saying that they will deal with me because it is their business and they’ve been in it for a very long time.”
The Commissioner recalled that the Ministry had a cause to cry out when their men went out to Toro local government area to confiscate some of the trees that were felled and in the process, charcoal was made, “but the people in the village teamed up and vandalized our vehicles, beat up some of our staff, this was a very sad development.”
He said that has not deterred their determination because the governor has given them all the necessary support to operate and do the right thing to ensure that trees and the environment are duly protected so they have no reason to fail him.
He canvassed that henceforth, any vehicle caught conveying charcoal from whichever part of the state to anywhere in Nigeria will be confiscated and the vehicle also confiscated and converted to government use.
“We don’t have problems with having charcoal but everybody knows that before you get charcoal, you must fell a tree and burn it. There was a law that was recently passed by the House of Assembly sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, which clearly states the punitive measures and the provisions of the law,” he added.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.