Thursday, November 13, 2025 - The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has assured Nigerians that ongoing plans to boost the capacity of the Mining Marshals will further rid the country of illegal miners.
Addressing participants of Course 34 of the Nigerian Defence
College, Abuja, on the assessment of the solid minerals value chain and the
impact on economic growth, Alake said the Mining Marshals have lived up to the
mandate to provide an enforcement agency for the sector.
He said scaling up the logistical strength in terms of
vehicles, equipment, and weaponry will power the expansion of the agency’s
operations to the 774 local governments and improve the security of mines and
miners.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Assistant to
the Minister on Media, Segun Tomori, read, “The Mining Marshals have lived up
to the mandate to provide an enforcement agency for the sector and ongoing
plans to boost the capacity of the Mining Marshals will further rid the country
of illegal miners.”
Since their deployment in 2023, the Mining Marshals have
reclaimed about 90 sites from illegal miners and bandits, prosecuted over 300
offenders, and monitored about 450 mining locations under threat from illegal
operators.
Responding to concerns over inter-agency rivalry with the
Mining Marshals, Alake appreciated other military and security agencies, such
as the Nigerian Army and Police, for the smooth collaboration that has enabled
the Mining Marshals to excel.
Represented by his Special Adviser, Kehinde Bamigbetan,
Alake took the participants through the value chain of the solid minerals
sector, including licensing, exploration, community engagement, extraction,
processing, and sales.
He said the Seven-Point Agenda, the roadmap he introduced as
minister, has added value to the sector’s value chain by sanitising the sector
and blocking financial leakages.
Citing the increase in total revenue of the ministry from
N6bn in 2022 to N12bn in 2024 and currently at N26bn as of October this year,
Alake said this was achieved by raising the bar of compliance with the Nigerian
Minerals and Mining Act.
He said over 3,700 titles have been revoked for failing to
pay annual service fees and failing to mine in line with the use-or-lose
principle, adding that companies have been warned to comply with the Community
Development Agreement and meet environmental obligations.
To further position the sector for international
competitiveness, Alake said the establishment of the Nigeria Solid Minerals
Company has opened the door to investors ready for joint ventures.
Thanking the minister on behalf of the course participants,
the Director, Information, Communications and Technology of the Nigerian
Defence College, Air Commodore Olushola Oluokun, thanked the minister for
the enlightening lecture, which shed light on various subjects being studied by
participants.
Illegal mining has remained a persistent challenge in
Nigeria’s extractive sector, depriving the government of billions in potential
revenue and fuelling insecurity in mineral-rich regions. In response, the
Federal Government launched the Mining Marshals Initiative in 2023 as part of
efforts to formalise the sector, protect licensed miners, and curb economic
sabotage.
The initiative, jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Solid
Minerals Development and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, forms a
critical part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader drive to diversify the economy
beyond oil and promote value addition in the mining industry.
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