MINING MARSHALS CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL OPERATORS, NAB 671
Read Time:2 Minute, 52 Second
By: Fasasi Hammad
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has disclosed that its Mining Marshals have arrested 671 suspected illegal miners across the country as part of ongoing efforts to curb unlawful mining activities.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Commander of the NSCDC Mining Marshals, Attah Onoja, revealed that 397 of the suspects have already been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Onoja made the disclosure on Monday while representing the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, at a stakeholders’ workshop on extractive industries governance organised by the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploitation, Security and Anti-Money Laundering in Abuja.
According to him, the Mining Marshals have dismantled several illegal mining sites, shut down unlawful operations, seized mining equipment and returned a number of mining locations to their legitimate licence holders.
He credited the successes to the professionalism of the Mining Marshals, effective collaboration among security agencies and sustained backing from the Federal Government.
“We have arrested no fewer than 671 suspected illegal miners, while 397 have already been charged before the Federal High Court. We have also secured several convictions as part of the ongoing enforcement against illegal mining,” Onoja said.
He noted that intensified enforcement measures have improved compliance with mining regulations and significantly boosted government earnings from the solid minerals sector.
Citing figures from the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Onoja said revenue generated from the sector increased by 337 per cent between 2023 and 2026, rising from about ₦6 billion in 2023 to over ₦70 billion as of June 2026.
He praised the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, for spearheading reforms in the sector, describing his tenure as a turning point for Nigeria’s mining industry.
Onoja also acknowledged the support of the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Nigerian Armed Forces and the NSCDC leadership, noting that their contributions had strengthened the effectiveness of the Mining Marshals.
Despite the achievements, he identified inadequate logistics, manpower shortages, limited access to weapons, judicial delays, interference from vested interests and weak community cooperation as key challenges facing the unit.
To address these issues, Onoja advocated increased funding, the deployment of surveillance technology, the creation of a national mining intelligence situation room and the appointment of designated Federal High Court judges to handle illegal mining cases more swiftly.
He reaffirmed the NSCDC’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s mineral resources in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that a secure mining sector would enhance revenue generation, create jobs and reduce the financing of criminal activities.
At the event, the President of the Nigeria Union of Mines Workers, Hamza Muhammad, called on the Federal Government to mandate local processing of minerals before export to promote industrialisation and job creation.
Representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Fatima Usman-Katsina pledged continued collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to improve accountability, traceability and coordination within the mining sector.
Also speaking, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Majority Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the workshop was aimed at developing practical solutions to illegal mining, insecurity and illicit financial flows.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploitation, Security and Anti-Money Laundering, Sanni Abdulraheem, called for stronger cooperation among regulators, security agencies, mining operators and host communities to combat illegal mining and strengthen governance in the sector.
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