Illegal miners will face prosecution, NSCDC Mining Marshals warn
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has warned mining operators across the country against engaging in illegal activities, stressing that offenders who violate mining laws and regulations will face prosecution. The warning was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Attah. It comes days after the NSCDC Mining Marshals intensified enforcement operations nationwide as part of renewed efforts to sanitise Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and tackle illegal mining. The specialised enforcement unit said its operational teams, particularly in the South-West, had recorded progress in ensuring that mining activities comply with existing laws and regulatory requirements. Attah, however, warned operators against flouting the regulations, saying ignorance of the law would not protect offenders from prosecution. He stressed that every operator must ensure mining activities are conducted within the law, while those operating outside the regulatory framework would face legal consequences.
Attah said the intensified enforcement campaign was designed not only to tackle illegal mining but also to protect legitimate investors, improve revenue generation and restore confidence in a sector affected by persistent regulatory violations and economic sabotage. He said compliance with mining laws was essential to ensure that Nigeria’s mineral resources were exploited safely, sustainably and in a way that benefits the national economy. Illegal mining remains a major challenge to the sector, contributing to revenue losses, environmental degradation and the exploitation of mineral resources outside the regulatory framework. The renewed enforcement campaign forms part of the Federal Government’s wider efforts to reform the solid minerals sector and develop it as a key component of Nigeria’s economic diversification plans. The country has commercially viable deposits of minerals including gold, lithium, limestone, coal, bitumen and tin, but the sector has continued to operate below its potential amid concerns over illegal mining, insecurity, weak regulation and unlicensed operators. The latest operations also align with the reform efforts of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, which has been pushing stronger regulation, investor protection and a crackdown on illegal resource exploitation.
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