By Admin
A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Daniel Asuquo, has instituted a legal action against the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, and several others over alleged unlawful interference in his mining operations in Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state.
Asuquo, who represented Biase/Akamkpa Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, accused the state government and its agents of incessant invasions of his mining site, unlawful seizure of equipment valued at over ₦200 million, and disruption of legitimate exploration activities despite his possession of valid licences from the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt Judicial Division, with number FHC/PHC/CS/147/2025, also joined the Cross River State Government, the Attorney-General of the state, the Chairman of the Anti-Illegal Mining Taskforce, Prince Paul Effiong, as well as the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigerian Army as respondents.
In his application, signed by counsel D. T. Tarhemba, Esq., and David Iornum Saando, Esq., Asuquo is seeking an interlocutory injunction restraining the respondents from “further invading the applicant’s mining site, arresting the applicants, or obstructing exploration/mining activities pending the determination of the substantive suit.”
He argued that under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, only the Federal Government has the constitutional authority to regulate solid minerals, insisting that the state government acted outside its powers by invading his mining lease site.
“The applicants are at the imminent danger of losing their mining business if this Honourable Court does not urgently intervene,” the petition partly read, claiming revenue losses of over ₦500 million as a result of the respondents’ actions.
The former lawmaker alleged that the respondents, acting through thugs and state taskforce officials, had consistently harassed his workers, impounded equipment, and even deployed excavators to extract minerals from his licensed site.
Other applicants in the suit include Olayi Mines and Energy Ltd, Achu Fidelis Inyambe, and Doveline Investment Nigeria Ltd.
The case, which was moved to the Port Harcourt Division owing to the vacation of the Federal High Court in Calabar, is expected to test the extent of state governments’ powers in regulating mining, a subject constitutionally reserved for the Federal Government.
At press time, neither the Cross River State Government nor the office of the Attorney-General had issued an official response to the suit.
