 Court proceedings were halted when 11 out of the 21 defendants who claimed to be citizens of Burkina Faso said they did not understand the language of the court or any Nigerian language. This comes amid escalating tension in the West African sub-region following threats of military invasion against the Niger Republic by the economic community of West African states, ECOWAS. The 21 alleged illegal minors were brought before special courts set up by the Taraba State government after the way arrested by a security joint tax force constituted to check the activities of illegal minors. The way reportedly arrested are the disputed mining site whose ownership is being contested by Adamawa and Taraba states. The Prosecuting Council, Nero's Johnson urged the court to remind the defendants pending when a competent interpreter could interpret court proceedings in a language they would understand. Within the forest reserve, carrying out excavation activities in whatever guise, not in compliance with environmental safety procedures, they were brought in and they were reined before the court today. Unfortunately, we couldn't proceed because about 11, 12 of them are not Nigerians. They are from Burkina Faso. Because we do not have an interpreter in the language that about 11 of them understand the matter couldn't go on. And if the Nigerian government and state governments, for instance, Taraba and Adamawa, will sit back to watch the activities of illegal minors to continue on the land, I think it will create catastrophic problems for the society. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.