Local media reported that the confiscated gold has no official backing to legalize the means by which it was obtained and its owners.

It was reported that some 100 people from different official institutions attached to the Niamey airport, from where the metal was shipped, were dismissed from their functions as a preventive measure.

In recent years, Niger’s government has authorized permits for the prospecting of minerals with an investment of 232 million dollars, including gold, coal, manganese, lithium and copper, specialized sources said on Wednesday.

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