Sustaining the Gallant Exploits of Nigeria’s Mining Marshals
Over a year since the launch of Nigeria’s Mining Marshals on March 21, 2024, the solid minerals sector is witnessing a long-overdue reckoning.
What began as a strategic enforcement initiative by the Federal Government has grown into a formidable response to illegal mining and the chaotic disregard for Nigeria’s Mineral and Mining Act, 2007.
And yet, for all the success chalked up so far, sustaining these wins will require much more than applause. Drawn from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Mining Marshals started off with 2,220 personnel.
That number has now risen to over 2,670 following the recruitment of 450 additional officers. Within just 12 months, the unit has arrested 327 illegal miners, reclaimed 98 illegally occupied sites, and flagged another 457 for enforcement.
Perhaps most striking is the single operation in Jagula, Kogi State, where over 3,000 illegal miners were evicted from a site that had been hijacked since 2016.
Their impact is not lost on stakeholders. Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, at a forum, described the Marshals as a game-changer—restoring order, bolstering investor confidence, and confronting the criminal networks long embedded in the sector.
He lamented how legitimate license holders had been denied access to their sites due to the brazenness of illegal operators—many of whom enjoy the backing of powerful foreign sponsors.
The conviction of two Chinese nationals, Yang Chao and Wu Shan Chuan, in Kwara State, not too long ago, underscores the international dimensions of this illicit trade.
Yet, the question looms: can this level of success be sustained? The terrain is hostile, remote, and often lawless. Mining fields stretch across Nigeria’s porous borders, giving illegal miners both physical and strategic advantage.
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Assistant Commander of the Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja, confessed that logistics remain a constant challenge. Despite this, his men have continued to show uncommon courage, responding to petitions by genuine license holders and reclaiming sites that had either been abandoned or taken over unlawfully.
“The words of encouragement from the Honourable Minister have kept our morale high,” Onoja said. “But many times, we are relying more on personal sacrifice than on operational tools.”
This is why the push for technological support cannot be overstated. Dr. Alake has already spearheaded efforts to deploy drones, satellite imagery, and miniature surveillance robots to offer real-time intelligence and improve operational safety.
These tools, once fully integrated, promise to change the game entirely—monitoring vast areas in real-time and closing the intelligence gap that illegal miners have long exploited.
What is unfolding is more than a clampdown—it is part of a larger economic vision to reposition Nigeria’s solid minerals as a dependable source of revenue. The Mining Marshals are helping secure that future by cleaning up the field and offering licensed companies a fair shot.
More artisanal miners are being encouraged to register cooperatives and move into the formal economy. And while the government understands the economic desperation behind many illegal activities, it has made it clear: those who refuse to play by the rules will face the full weight of the law.
Recently, the Ministry introduced a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Marshals to ensure uniformity and professionalism. Commendation has also gone to other security agencies—the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Police—as well as the Judiciary for its swift prosecution of offenders.
It is this multi-stakeholder synergy that has helped push back against what was once an entrenched culture of impunity. The Mining Marshals have shown what focused leadership, discipline, and national will can achieve in just one year. But now comes the real test.
The Federal Government must scale up investment in logistics, expand technological capabilities, and safeguard the welfare of officers on the frontlines. Nigeria is at a turning point. The last year has proven that illegal mining can be tackled head-on.
The task now is to dig deeper—not just into the ground, but into our commitment to reform. Only then can the gains already recorded translate into a prosperous and secure future for Nigeria’s mining sector
Zekeri Idakwo Laruba is the Assistant Editor with PRNigeria and Economic confidential. He can be reached via [email protected]
