Matthew Onocheta

Abuja – Powerful elites in Nigeria are obstructing efforts to arrest foreign nationals involved in illegal minings, the country’s military chief has said.

This was as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, Jonathan Gbefwi, said the country was losing $9bn annually to illegal mining.

Represented by Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ilo at an investigative hearing in Abuja, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa noted that when foreign nationals involved in illegal mining are apprehended, they often claim to have connections with influential individuals.

General Musa hinted that these connections may lead to their release, undermining the efforts of security agencies.

He emphasised the need to strengthen the regulatory framework governing mining in Nigeria, citing the military’s experience with illegal mining operations.

The military chief said: “Talking of illegal mining, I’m going to talk about how the military sees it. There are so many other stakeholders that I want to talk about. From our various operations and the statistics that we have, we notice that, first of all, the framework guiding mining in Nigeria is very, very good. It needs to be strengthened. Why do I say so, sir?

“In 2018 or so, during the last administration, there was a ban on illegal mining in South Africa, South Africa, and Nigeria, which even established a gold mine zone. Despite that ban, mining licences were being issued to people to mine in that zone. So the strengthening of the institutional framework is very key.”

Calling for tough sanctions for those involved in the act, the General Musa maintained: “Anybody caught in this illegal mining must be dealt with decisively and examples should be made publicly for others to know. The third aspect we noted is poverty. In these areas where this illegal mining takes place, the people are poor. Virtually, lack of education is also part of it. Most of them that we get, have no formal education.”

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