Since the Mining Marshals were established eight months ago, the Nigerian government has arrested about 300 illicit miners, according to Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake.
Alake emphasized the nation’s success in reducing illegal mining operations at a meeting with the House Committee on Solid Minerals on Thursday.
The mining marshals, a specialist security unit established to guard Nigeria’s mining sites and combat the pervasive illicit mining that has afflicted the sector, were officially launched by Alake in March 2024.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Commandant-General Abubakar Audi is in charge of the marshals, who are entrusted with combating theft and other illicit activities related to Nigeria’s solid mineral resources.
Alake said that since their deployment, which included the dispatch of over 2,000 trained marshals to various mining locations, approximately 300 illegal miners, including international people, had been detained.
The minister added that the heightened security presence has resulted in a major drop in unlicensed mining across the country, restoring much-needed order to a previously chaotic industry.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
