Residents of the Bmuko community in Bwari Area Council of Abuja have continued to recount how Venus, a Chinese mining company, has taken over their land and driven them off their means of livelihood.
Workers on the site who spoke to Media Advocacy West Africa Foundation (MAWA-Foundation) narrated how their lands have been taken over by the Chinese company which is making huge monies and exploiting the community.
Narrating their experience with the Chinese mining company operation, Bmuko residents in a similar narrative recounted how their lands were taken over by the Chinese company in connivance with the Bwari area council without adequate compensation.
Some of the community residents told MAWA that the company gives community compensation to the village head who usually does not disclose what was being collected, while others say the community head is very sincere and settles everybody as soon as he receives money from the mining company
One of the workers who spoke to MAWA Foundation on the mining site disclosed that 400 trucks load from the site daily, and each of them pays an N500 fee before they are allowed to leave the site.
He disclosed that a 12-tyre truck loads 30 tons and each of the tons cost the sum of N3, 500 which equals about N42 million daily when multiplied by the number of tons and 400 trucks that load from the site every day.
When MAWA asked community residents whether the Chinese company pays them compensation and settlement, they said the company gives community benefits to Mr. Ibrahim, the community chief.
Some of the community residents told MAWA that they are happy about the operation of the Chinese company pointing out that there is no disagreement over the collection of their land because the community chief settles them well from the money given by the company.
However, some community residents accused the Chinese company and the community chief of colluding to collect their lands and shortchanging them.