The Mining Marshals have defended the continued closure of the Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited quarry in Abuja, saying the facility has remained sealed for 13 months because it is being treated as a crime scene in an ongoing criminal case before the Federal High Court.
The Commander of the Mining Marshals gave the explanation in response to recent allegations by Stone Rockers, which petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other government officials over the prolonged shutdown of its operations.
Stone Rockers had alleged that the closure was unlawful and unsupported by any court order. However, the Mining Marshals rejected the claim, maintaining that the quarry was not shut as an administrative sanction but preserved as the locus criminis, or location of the alleged offence, pending the determination of the criminal proceedings.
According to the Commander, Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited and its director, Kolawole Olaiya, are currently facing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/VR/338/2026 over alleged illegal mining activities within a mineral title area belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures Nigeria Limited.
He explained that the prosecution followed extensive investigations initiated after a series of petitions by Lord’s Career Ventures over a period exceeding one year.
The petitions, he said, were referred by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and the Minister of Interior to the Mining Marshals, through the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), for investigation and prosecution.
The Commander disclosed that the defendants were arrested at coordinates identified as longitude 7°17’24”E and latitude 8°52’11”N, which investigators found to be within Mining Lease No. 000395 ML belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures.
He further cited a January 23, 2026 letter from the Mining Cadastre Office, which, according to the Mining Marshals, confirmed that the disputed coordinates fall within the complainant’s licensed mining area.
The agency said additional documentary evidence gathered during the investigation would be presented before the court. Among the documents, according to the Commander, is correspondence dated August 12, 2025, allegedly written by Mohammed Olanrewaju Jibril, a member of the defence team, on the instructions of the defendants.
The Commander said the correspondence contains information considered relevant to the allegations before the court, adding that the prosecution’s case extends beyond the disputed coordinates and correspondence.
He described the documentary evidence assembled during the investigation as substantial, while maintaining that the issues surrounding the disputed quarry are now properly before the judiciary.
The Mining Marshals also questioned attempts by the defendants to seek administrative intervention while related criminal and civil proceedings remain pending before the courts.
“The issues raised by the defendants are already the subject of judicial proceedings,” the Commander said, warning against actions capable of undermining or prejudicing the ongoing cases.
He alleged that the defendants had pursued “every extrajudicial means” to frustrate the criminal proceedings and linked their latest petition to what he described as previous attempts to pressure him through petitions to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The Commander insisted that such pressure would not deter the Mining Marshals from enforcing the country’s mining laws.
“No matter the level of blackmail and harassment deployed by illegal mining and erring industry players, the Mining Marshals will not be deterred from ensuring that the full weight of the law is pressed very tightly against everyone who breaks the laws in the Nigerian mining sector,” he said.
On the workers arrested during the initial enforcement operation, the Commander explained that prosecutors had earlier amended the charge to exclude them after determining that they acted as employees of a disclosed principal and might not have possessed the criminal intent required for prosecution.
He, however, disclosed that the decision was being reviewed following subsequent developments, including the participation of some workers in protests over the continued shutdown.
According to him, prosecutors have been directed to consider relisting the affected workers if evidence establishes a greater degree of involvement in the alleged illegal mining activities.
The Mining Marshals also dismissed allegations that financial inducement influenced the enforcement operation.
The Commander said Lord’s Career Ventures had repeatedly complained of financial losses arising from its inability to commence operations due to the alleged encroachment but maintained that the company did not provide financial support or logistics to the Mining Marshals for the operation that led to the arrests.
He stressed that enforcement decisions were based on evidence obtained during investigations and not on the financial position of either party.
The Commander appealed to media organisations to strengthen their editorial gatekeeping and verification processes, particularly when reporting allegations concerning matters already before the courts.
He said the media remained an important stakeholder in the Federal Government’s efforts to reform the solid minerals sector and urged journalists to support lawful and responsible mining practices.
The Mining Marshals maintained that the Stone Rockers quarry would remain sealed while the criminal proceedings continue, insisting that preserving the site is necessary to protect the integrity of evidence connected to the case.
The dispute between Stone Rockers and Lord’s Career Ventures has generated competing claims over the disputed mining area, with Stone Rockers challenging the legality of the prolonged closure and the Mining Marshals maintaining that the matter should be resolved through the judicial process.
