EFCC goes after illegal mining financiers, buyers, compromised officials –Olukoyede

From Taiwo Ogunniyi, Ilorin

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vowed to intensify its crackdown on illegal mining in Nigeria, warning that financiers, mineral buyers, compromised public officials and other beneficiaries of the illicit trade will no longer escape investigation and prosecution.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the commission would expand its enforcement operations beyond illegal mining site operators to target the powerful financial networks and collaborators sustaining the criminal enterprise.

Olukoyede spoke while delivering a keynote address at a joint conference on Illegal Mining, Corruption and Climate Implications, organised by the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, in partnership with the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA).

Speaking on the theme, “Uprooting the Roots of Resource Theft: A Zero-Tolerance Approach to Mining Corruption and Increasing Insecurity in Nigeria,” he lamented that Nigeria had failed to fully harness the economic benefits of its abundant mineral resources, including gold, lithium, tin, lead and zinc, due to corruption, illegal exploitation and insecurity.

He said the country’s mineral wealth could only become an economic blessing if properly managed and protected from criminal activities.

According to him, illegal mining goes beyond individuals operating mining pits, involving sophisticated networks of local and international financiers, mineral buyers, compromised government officials, transporters and other beneficiaries.

He said the EFCC would adopt a comprehensive approach to dismantling the criminal networks behind the illegal trade.

“A serious enforcement strategy must move from the pit to the purse,” Olukoyede declared, stressing that the commission would continue to follow the money, investigate financiers and facilitators, trace proceeds of illegal mining and prosecute suspects based on available evidence.

Giving an account of the commission’s achievements, the EFCC chairman disclosed that between October 2023 and July 2026, the commission recorded 52 illegal mining cases under its specialised enforcement portfolio, leading to investigations, prosecutions and convictions.

He also revealed that the commission had secured the forfeiture of 102 tonnes of solid minerals.

Olukoyede warned that illegal mining was not merely an economic crime, noting that it could fuel extortion, smuggling, violence and other criminal activities, thereby worsening insecurity in mining communities.

He called for stronger collaboration among mining regulatory agencies, law enforcement institutions, financial intelligence bodies, customs authorities, revenue agencies and host communities to effectively tackle the menace.

The EFCC boss identified information sharing, intelligence gathering and coordinated operations as critical to exposing the financiers and ultimate beneficiaries of illegal mining.

He urged organised labour, traditional institutions, civil society organisations and the media to support the campaign for transparency, decent working conditions and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector.

Earlier, the Director-General of MINILS and chief host, Comrade Issa Aremu, mni, said the institute was established in 1983 and named after renowned labour leader, Pa Michael Imoudu, whose contributions to Nigeria’s labour movement remained significant.

Aremu commended the EFCC under Olukoyede’s leadership for its efforts in combating economic and financial crimes, describing the conference as an important platform for advancing labour education and addressing emerging challenges affecting workers and the environment.

In his remarks, HEDA Resource Centre Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, described illegal mining, corruption and environmental degradation as interconnected challenges requiring collective action.

He stressed the need for organised labour to play a central role in Nigeria’s transition to clean energy, warning that workers must not be left behind.

Suraju said the three-day engagement was designed to equip labour leaders with advocacy skills, development tools and collective bargaining strategies, while promoting a joint action plan to monitor suspicious mining activities and implement a Green Accountability Campaign.

The high point of the event was the conferment of a Fellowship Award on Olukoyede by MINILS in recognition of his contributions to the fight against corruption and related economic and financial crimes.