NSCDC Stops Gay Wedding In Gombe, Nabs 76 Suspects
- Parades 59 males, 17 females
The Gombe State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says its personnel have foiled a plan by some individuals to host a same-sex wedding in parts of the State.
Accordingly, 76 suspects, who were arrested in connection with the development, have been paraded before journalists at the Command’s headquarters in Gombe on behalf of the State Commandant, Mohammed Muazu.
Addressing the media on the arrest made so far, the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC in the State, Buhari Sa’ad, disclosed out of the 76 suspects, 59 are males with 21 said to have confessed to being homosexuals, adding that 17 females were also arrested at the scene.
Sa’ad, who explained the circumstances leading to having the suspects in custody, said; “They were arrested at Duwa Plaza along Bauchi-Gombe Expressway while holding a homosexual birthday and they had plans to hold a same-sex wedding before our men raided the scene.
“Fifty-nine males were arrested, 21 wilfully confessed to being homosexuals, and 17 females present at the scene were also picked. They will be charged to court to answer for their crime which is on social vice; a crime in Gombe State.”
In another development, the Command also confirmed the arrest of some suspects in connection with illegal mining activities in the Akko Local Government Area of the state.
Reports indicated that the suspects were arrested at a site in the Gamawa community while operating in violation of the mining clearance that was allegedly approved by the Federal Government.
The NSCDC State Commandant, Mohammed Muazu, who confirmed the arrest to journalists on Sunday, described the development as a “significant milestone”, saying; “My team stormed the site following a tip-off from some concerned citizens. While they were working with their excavating machine, we stormed the place, and ironically, they claimed to be the owners of the site and that they had a licence.
“However, on close examination of the documents in their possession, we discovered that the approval they had was for Laterite sand which they abandoned for mining coal”.
Muazu said having reported the case to the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and the State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the command has ordered the temporary suspension of activity at the site until proper clearance is obtained from the necessary authorities.
In his intervention on the matter, Gombe State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Sanusi Pindiga, announced the suspension of all mining activities across the state, urging all miners in the state to appear before the Ministry for proper screening and clearance going forward.
He said the decision followed the discovery of the illegal mining site by the NSCDC, adding that the government’s move is to ensure that miners operating in the state are properly screened and cleared by the Ministry.
According to him; “A genuine miner should report to the appropriate authority before going to the field. We don’t want a situation where miners will be mining without considering the dangers and effect of the activities on the lives of our people, their farmlands, and communities”.
