The Taraba State Taskforce on Environmental Protection, Public Safety and Prohibition of Land Degradation has arrested over 5,000 illegal miners in a mining site.

The agency also raised concern about the fear of desert encroachment and other environmental degradation, saying it is behind the current effort to curb tree burning for charcoal.

Arise News reports that there has been an outcry in Taraba State over the rising cost of charcoal due to the ongoing battle against the illegal cutting of trees.

Some homestead said the crisis has led to more hardship, especially in the face of the cost of gas and fuel for domestic use.

But the Chairman of the Taskforce, General Jeremiah Faransa (Retd), at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday, said among those arrested were mostly foreigners with expired visa.

Faransa said government is aware of the hardship but wants to control the illegal carting away of economic trees.

According to him, a cartel is involved in the illegal burning of trees, with the State immensely losing to the nefarious activities.

He said, ?You can?t try this in China. Once your visa is expired, you?re bundled back to your country. Those destroying economic trees like mango are not done by Tarabans but the agents. We don?t want what happened in the Niger Delta to happen to Taraba.

?Cooking with charcoal is not a problem. But going commercial is a big offence. It?s not for cooking in Taraba State but for exportation. The law allows us to protect our lands. The previous governments didn?t do anything to protect our state. But for this administration, it?s not going to be business as usual.?

He said charcoal has become an export product from Taraba State, stressing that the activities of the loggers must be checked.

Faransa said Taraba State has a duty to protect the land from illegal cutting of trees, advisony that going forward, those cutting trees must also plant more.

He also explained that the current burning of trees for charcoal in Taraba State only benefits the cartel reselling the product outside the state.

?Charcoal is sold in Jalingo for N4,500 but resold at N12, 000in Abuja. The cartel is the one benefitting?, Faransa emphasized.

He expressed optimism thatthe State government is looking for ways to alleviate the suffering of the people through innovative means beyond charcoal.

Faransa said government is not totally against the use of firewood for cooking but the unscrupulous destruction of economic trees. (AriseNews TV, excluding headline)