BUA Group alleged to be using militia to a mine site allocated to Ministry of Mines, Nigeria and Dangote Group Clarification provided by the Mining Cadastre Office shows that the coordinates of the mine pit and RoM stockpile area fall wholly within the area of mining Lease No 2541ML belonging to Messrs Dangote Industries Limited LAGOS, Nigeria, December 7, 2017/APO Group/ -- The management of BUA Group has been using armed militia, soldiers and policemen to mine marble and limestone in mining sites allocated to the Dangote Group (http://Dangote.com), the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (www.MinesAndSteel.gov.ng) has alleged. In a statement signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Abass, and made available to our correspondent, the ministry said the company had been using a combination of armed militia, soldiers and policemen to obstruct the ministry’s team from executing the stop work order issued to the company in October. The ministry’s statement was in response to an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari by the company alleging that a minister was involved in sabotaging its operations. Abass said that in the records of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office, the BUA Group did not have a mining lease over the contentious site (No. 2541ML) and was therefore engaged in illegal mining. He stated, “The ministry stands by the stop work order issued to the BUA Group and signed by the Permanent Secretary dated 17th of October 2017.” “The letter was issued after thorough investigation confirmed that the BUA Group was indeed engaging in illegal mining of marble/limestone at a mine pit located on geographical coordinates N070 21’ 47.4’ E0060 26’ 51.8’, while the run-of-mine is stockpiled at an area with geographical coordinates N070 21’ 48.4’; E0060 26’37.2’.” “Clarification provided by the Mining Cadastre Office shows that the coordinates of the mine pit and RoM stockpile area fall wholly within the area of mining Lease No 2541ML belonging to Messrs Dangote Industries Limited.” Abass added, “The ministry had earlier in 2015 issued a stop work order on this same disputed site but the BUA Group disregarded the order and went ahead with its illegal mining activities, under heavy cover of armed soldiers, policemen and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.” “The management of BUA also resisted the enforcement of the latest stop work order issued on October 17, 2017 using a combination of armed militia, soldiers and policemen to obstruct the team from the ministry in effecting the stop work order.” He added that the ministry would not compromise due process in its commitment to promote local and global investments in the Nigerian mining sector. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group - Africa Newsroom.FOR MORE INFORMATION Aïssatou Diallo | bdm@APO-opa.org | +41 22 534 96 97 ABOUT APO GROUP Founded in 2007, APO Group (APO-opa.com) is a leading media relations' consulting firm in Africa and Middle East.  We assist private and public organizations in sharpening their reputation and increasing their brand equity in target countries. As trusted partner, our role is to leverage the power of media and build bespoke strategies that enable organizations to produce a real and measurable impact in Africa and the Middle East and outside the regional frontiers. The trust and recognition that have been granted to APO Group by global & multinational companies, governments, as well as NGOs impels the company to continuously enhance its value proposition within Africa & Middle East to better cater its clients ‘needs. Amongst our prestigious clients: Facebook, Dangote Group, GE, Uber, Microsoft, Nokia, Mara Group, PwC, DHL, Marriott Group, Sage, Ecobank, Iflix, Jumia, Samsung, Total, Merck, Société Générale, L'Oréal, Oracle, Philips, Barclays, MoneyGram, Ernst & Young, Orange ... Headquarter: Lausanne, Switzerland | Offices in Senegal, Dubai and Hong Kong