By Nkechi Eze
The Federal Government has strengthened the operational capacity of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals with the procurement and symbolic commissioning of eight gun trucks, alongside the unveiling of a two-year milestone compendium documenting the unit’s activities in the fight against illegal mining across the country.
According to an official signed statement by the National Public Relations Officer (PRO), NSCDC, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) Babawale Afolabi, the development was highlighted at a ceremony where the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Henry Dele Alake, expressed the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining support for the Mining Marshals. Dr. Alake, while speaking at the event, assured that modern technological tools and additional armored vehicles would be provided once budgetary provisions are secured, describing the intervention as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s solid minerals governance framework.
The Minister disclosed that the Mining Marshals, a specialized unit carved out of the NSCDC, have recorded significant operational achievements within two years of existence, including the arrest of over 300 illegal miners, the prosecution of more than 150 suspects, and multiple convictions involving both local and foreign nationals. He described illegal mining operators and their collaborators as “saboteurs” and “enemies of the state,” warning that government would continue to enforce the full weight of the law against them.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Interior, Hon. Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who was represented by Major General Abdulmalik Jibrin (Rtd.) of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), commended the inter-ministerial collaboration driving the operations of the Mining Marshals. He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to sustained support in terms of training, funding, and enhanced operational capacity to secure Nigeria’s mineral resources.
Earlier in his remarks, the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, who was represented by the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Technical Services, DCG Zakari Ibrahim Ningi, described the initiative as transformative and unprecedented in the Corps’ operational history. He assured that the newly acquired gun trucks would be strictly deployed for their intended operational purposes in the ongoing fight against illegal mining.
The National Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) John Attah Onoja, expressed appreciation to both the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Ministry of Interior for their support. He noted that the deployment of additional logistics would further enhance operational efficiency, while calling on Nigerians to support the Marshals in protecting national assets, stressing that illegal mining constitutes theft of the nation’s commonwealth and must be decisively confronted in collaboration with sister security agencies.
