As States Ramp Up Effort At Ending Illegal Mining In Nigeria

From Lateef Taiwo

What is happening in some states now shows that the expression of interest in recent times by the Federal Government of Nigeria, through her Ministry of Solid Minerals, MoSM, to partner local authorities – states to bring the activities of illegal miners to an end is the way to go.

Illegal mining, with its grave economic and environmental consequences on national development, has been so rife in Nigeria and believed to have caused the country untold revenue haemorrhage in her abundant solid minerals endowment over the years.

And one mystery about this illicit business that is yet, but needs, to be unravelled is why majority of the so called illegal miners are foreigners, to the extent that it can be said arguably that eight out of every ten of the criminals are expatriates who claim ignorant of any of the country’s languages.

The recent clampdown on the mining criminals in Enugu and Taraba States is a very welcome development that should be a wake-up call for other states in the country, especially those richly endowed with solid minerals, in synergy with the federal government through the ministry, to start the end-illegal-minig campaign.

On Thursday, 24th August, 2023 at the base of Ugwuonyeama hill in Enugu State, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps reportedly nabbed no fewer than 40 suspected illegal coal miners during an informed raid.

“The NSCDC’s intelligence team, acting on a tip-off, conducted a successful raid leading to the arrest of the 40 suspects involved in illegal coal mining at Ugwuonyeama,” he said.

Reiterating NSCDC’s resolve to collaborate with law-abiding citizens, Dada said, “Those with valid clearance and legitimate mining operation licenses will be treated in accordance with the law.

He urged residents to support government efforts in curbing illegal activities by providing information that could aid arrests and prosecution of culprits.

Enugu State Government had banned all illegal mining activities in the state at the dawn of June, 2023 in a move to protect its mineral resources, environment, and citizens from the menace of wanton exploitation by illegal miners.

Earlier, on Monday, 21 August, 2023, there was a mild drama at a special court, set up by the Taraba State Government, in Jalingo, the state capital, when 21 suspects were arraigned for alleged illegal mining.

Court proceedings were stalled 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.

They were arrested at a mining site, ownership of which is also being contested by neighbouring Adamawa state, by a security joint task force constituted by the Taraba government to check the activities of illegal miners there.

Having listened to arguments pro and con from the prosecuting and the defending counsels respectively, the Magistrate, Husseini Galadima, ruled in favour of the prosecution by remanding the defendants at an undisclosed facility, and thereafter adjourned the case to September 6 to enable the court to get an interpreter.

And in a related development, a special mobile court in the state had reportedly remanded two Chinese nationals and a Nigerian in the custody of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for ten days, after their trial was stalled over inability to speak the language upon their arraignment before a special mobile court for illegal lumbering as it contravenes an executive order recently made by Governor Kafas Agbu.

The governor had about a month ago come up with an executive order prohibiting illegal mining and deforestation activities in the state, consequent upon which a special taskforce was set up for implementation.

And to prove that he meant business, Governor Agbu was at the headquarters of the Ministry of Solid Minerals in Abuja recently where both sides agreed on cooperation and collaboration towards ending illegal mining in Taraba state.

In the past few years, such cases abound. The Osun State Government as at Sunday, 3rd May, 2020 announced the arrest of 27 illegal miners in the state. Those apprehended include 17 Chinese nationals and 10 locals, including a local traditional ruler (Baale).

The arrest, it was gathered, was executed by the recently inaugurated Osun State Security Taskforce (Amotekun) around Ilesa and Ife axis of the state.

And under the constitutional interpretation that the state lacks the powers of administration and prosecution as regards mining in the country, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, as it was then called, led by the immediate past Minister, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, took over the case and vowed to prosecute the suspects to serve as deterrents to others. However, nothing was heard afterward about that till date.