Residents of communities in Bauchi state are currently in panic mode because of a strange aircraft hovering over the sky.
A resident who spoke to Nationwide Reports in confidence said the panic was triggered by the fear that the aircraft may be monitoring team for bandits or illegal miners.
He said the people are worried even after the state government had recently bought motorcycles and other equipment for vigilantes to fight terrorists and bandits.
Reacting to the development, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, operating under the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification (MinDiver) Project, a World Bank-assisted initiative said there was no need for people to panic as the aircraft was on a national assessment.
A statement by Ishaku KIGBU, the Media/Communication Officer of the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification Project (MinDiver) at the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in Abuja, was released to journalists in Bauchi on Sunday.
The statement explained that the Ministry is currently conducting an airborne geophysical survey to determine precise mineral locations and geological data.
He said that the initiative aims to enhance economic diversification by providing accurate geological information and data to attract investments in the solid minerals sector, aligning with the present administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The activity is supported by the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification Project (MinDiver) and is carried out by an international consultant named Excalibur.
It involves the use of yellow-coloured small aircraft fitted with aeromagnetic lenses to conduct aeromagnetic surveys in selected states of the Federation, including Bauchi State.
After conducting thorough sensitisation in the state earlier, the Ministry emphasised that the activity is ongoing and that the state will witness the flying of these special aircraft at very low altitudes in a repeated pattern to capture magnetic anomalies.
The survey in Bauchi State will cover Alkaleri, Bauchi, Bogoro, Dass, Kirfi, Tafawa Balewa, and Toro Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development assures the affected LGAs and the public not to panic or entertain fears, as the activity is safe.
Given the prevailing security situation in the country, this reassurance is crucial to ensuring that misinformation or disinformation does not cause unnecessary concerns among the