KEY POINTS
- Amankalu Community in Ebonyi has stopped Dolf Metal Mining, accusing it of breaching a Community Development Agreement over zinc and lead deposits.
- The Amankalu General Union asked the state to compel the firm to suspend operations, citing the 2007 Mining Act and 2011 regulations, and warned of possible unrest.
- The union separately suspended its former secretary for a year and demanded a full account of royalties paid under his leadership.
An Ebonyi community has halted Dolf Metal Mining Company over an alleged breach of a development agreement, warning that rising anger could spill into violence without urgent government intervention.
Amankalu Community in Oshiri, Onicha Local Government Area, stopped the firm from working its sites. Specifically, the area is rich in zinc and lead, and Dolf Metal Mining holds the mining title for those minerals. Moreover, the Amankalu General Union pressed its case in a formal letter to the state.
Union demands the company stop
According to the union, it wrote to Ebonyi Commissioner for Solid Minerals Chinedum Nkah, urging the ministry to compel Dolf Metal Mining to suspend all activity over its persistent refusal to honour the Community Development Agreement. Furthermore, the letter carried the signatures of President General Peter Igwe and Secretary General Chikaodiri Ugbala.
The union grounded its demand in law. Specifically, it cited Section 116 of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, which requires lease holders to sign and implement development agreements with host communities. Additionally, it pointed to the 2011 mining regulations, which oblige operators to deliver agreed programmes and keep engaging residents.
Warning of unrest
However, the union said continued mining without compliance had bred frustration, resentment and tension. Consequently, it warned that residents’ patience was fading fast and that youths could resort to self-help if nothing changed.
The leadership stressed it had repeatedly urged calm. Nevertheless, it told the ministry that only timely enforcement of the 2007 Act could avert a genuine risk of a breakdown of law and order. Therefore, it framed regulatory action as the way to prevent avoidable conflict.
The dispute also turned inward. Separately, the union suspended its former secretary, David Ngwee, for one year, and it demanded the return of its property held by him. Moreover, it called for a full account of the royalties Dolf Metal Mining paid to the community under his leadership. Ultimately, the union tied both the external protest and the internal reckoning to a single goal, ensuring the community gets the benefits it is owed.
