Recently, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, alleged that some powerful Nigerians were behind illegal mining and sponsoring of banditry and terrorism in the country. The minister disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals for the defence of the ministry’s 2024 budget.
According to the minister, “one discovery that we have made is that a lot of these insecurities and banditry associated with this sector are sponsored by illegal miners. These are not your artisan miners. They are not the people who pick gold on the ground. These are heavy and powerful individuals in our country. They are Nigerians and not foreigners.”
Foreigners involved in the unscrupulous act, he alleged, had the backing of Nigerians.
The minister’s allegation is weighty and should deserve government’s urgent attention. It is also worth mentioning that this is not the first time powerful Nigerians will be accused of sponsoring terrorism and illegal mining in the country. However, on each occasion, not much was done to unmask and prosecute those involved. At a time, the federal government had vowed to name and shame sponsors of terrorism in the country. In a follow-up, the government of the United Arab Emirate (UAE), furnished Nigeria with names of six citizens among other identified sponsors of terrorism.
Unfortunately, not much was heard of the matter. The government also refused to name the identified financiers of terrorism in the country. According to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), doing so may jeopardise further investigation or apprehension of other people involved.
We believe that the disclosure by Alake will make the government to commence the arrest and prosecution of sponsors of terrorism and other types of insecurity in the country. The sponsors of illegal mining should also be apprehended and diligently prosecuted. There should be no sacred cows. Terrorism, banditry and illegal mining are related. Money from illegal mining can be used to finance terrorism.
The Federal Government must do everything possible to win the war against terrorism and the general insecurity across the country. Until these nefarious activities are adequately tackled, Nigeria will continue to live in the throes of insecurity. All the relevant local and international legislations against terrorism and banditry should be invoked in the war. At the same time, the sponsors of terrorism should not be treated with kid gloves.
The same treatment should be meted to illegal miners, who deprive the government of revenue and pollute the environment. Illegal mining involves the extraction of mineral resources without the necessary approval from the statutory regulatory authorities. Those involved operate outside official regulation and guidelines, hence their engagement in other illegal activities. In some cases, illegal miners cause instability to the community where they operate.
Unfortunately, Nigeria loses $9 billion annually to illegal mining. There are about 44 mineral types in 450 locations across the 774 local government areas in the country. About 80 per cent of mining in the Northwest region is reportedly done illegally. This denies the government huge foreign exchange. Factors promoting illegal mining activities in the country include poverty, high cost and cumbersome bureaucratic requirements for formalising operation, and the inherent gains in the illicit business.
In 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari set up a mining police comprising the Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, National Security Adviser. Let the body bring sanity to the sector. Interestingly, no fewer than 80 illegal miners had been arrested by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Also, 21 suspected illegal miners had been apprehended by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Cross River State. Therefore, no effort should be spared to bring to book those behind banditry, terrorism and illegal mining in the country.