Key Points
- NSCDC Mining Marshals will intensify efforts to dismantle illegal mining operations and disrupt illicit financial flows.
- Commander John Onoja identifies alleged collusion by compromised officials as a major challenge.
- DECAN pledges stronger media engagement to support the fight against illegal mining.
Main Story
The Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are set to intensify operations against illegal mining activities and disrupt illicit financial flows that may be supporting banditry, kidnapping and terrorism.
The Commander of the Mining Marshals, John Onoja, disclosed this in Abuja when members of the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN), led by its President, Odita Sunday, paid him a courtesy visit.
Onoja said the Mining Marshals would remain committed to enforcing mining laws and addressing illegal activities in a sector that has increasingly acquired security implications.
He said illegal mining was not only an economic and environmental problem but could also provide funding for criminal and terrorist groups.
The commander said tackling the financial resources available to criminal groups was therefore an important part of the security response.
He said the Mining Marshals had adopted intelligence-led operations involving the identification, arrest, investigation and prosecution of offenders.
Onoja said the unit would maintain its presence in mining communities as part of its deterrence strategy, although manpower and logistics remained challenges.
He urged the media, particularly defence correspondents, to support the campaign through accurate and sustained reporting on illegal mining and its security implications.
The commander also identified alleged collusion between compromised officials and illegal miners as a major obstacle to efforts to sanitise the sector.
He alleged that some compromised officials had resorted to blackmail and petitions against the Mining Marshals in an attempt to frustrate their operations.
Onoja said the campaign against illegal mining needed to be deliberate and enforced without bias.
Earlier, DECAN President Odita Sunday said the association recognised the economic and security implications of illegal mining and commended the Federal Government and NSCDC for establishing the Mining Marshals.
He said illegal mining threatened the environment and national revenue while increasingly posing a national security concern.
Odita pledged that DECAN would give appropriate attention to the activities of the Mining Marshals while ensuring that its reports did not compromise operational security or personnel safety.
He also called for stronger professional engagement between DECAN and the Mining Marshals through regular briefings, field visits and other activities.
The DECAN president said access to timely and verified information was important for countering misinformation and helping Nigerians understand the risks associated with illegal mining.
The Issues
Illegal mining has economic and environmental consequences, but the security dimension has become increasingly important because proceeds from such activities could provide funding for criminal and terrorist groups.
The effectiveness of enforcement is also affected by alleged collusion between illegal miners and compromised officials, as well as manpower and logistics constraints facing the Mining Marshals.
What’s Being Said
“It is not necessarily about picking up weapons and fighting bandits or kidnappers. We must ask: how do the people in those forests feed? How do they get money?” — John Onoja
“We want to make criminality less lucrative. You can only make it less lucrative if the illicit flow of finances to terrorist groups is disrupted.” — John Onoja
“I do not take your role for granted. The sanitised mining sector of our dream will be achieved through collaboration, and the major stakeholder in that collaboration is the media.” — John Onoja
“The major bottleneck we face today is not necessarily the number of illegal miners out there, but the number of compromised officials of institutions and agencies that are supposed to be partners in the fight against illegal mining.” — John Onoja
“That is corruption fighting back.” — John Onoja
What’s Next
The Mining Marshals will maintain operations across mining communities as they continue to identify, arrest, investigate and prosecute offenders while working to disrupt illicit financial flows linked to criminal activities.
DECAN is also expected to strengthen its engagement with the Mining Marshals through briefings, field visits and other activities while ensuring that reporting does not compromise operational security or personnel safety.
Bottom Line
The NSCDC Mining Marshals are intensifying efforts to tackle illegal mining and disrupt financial flows that may support criminal and terrorist groups, with alleged official collusion and limited resources identified as major challenges.
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