Illegal mining site in Nigeria
Federal Government has handed over several foreign nationals arrested for illegal mining and suspected terrorism links to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) for further investigation.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed this on Friday while speaking with Channels Television in Abuja over allegations by some US lawmakers that illegal Chinese mining operations are funding terrorism in Nigeria.
Although the minister did not reveal the exact number of suspects transferred to the NSA, he said security agencies have intensified efforts against illegal mining across the country. According to him, more than 327 suspects, including foreigners, have so far been arrested, while about 142 are currently facing prosecution in court.
Alake also revealed that nearly 3,000 mining licences have been revoked as part of the government’s crackdown on illegal activities in the sector.
He credited the progress recorded in the mining industry to the reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that revenue in the sector rose from ₦6 billion in 2023 to over ₦70 billion by December 2025.
The minister maintained that the administration’s economic reforms are gradually addressing years of corruption and institutional failures affecting the country.
He further urged operators and stakeholders in the solid minerals sector to embrace integrity and social responsibility in order to move the industry to greater heights, while President Tinubu had earlier warned that illegal mining and mineral theft now pose a major threat to regional stability in West Africa, declaring, “I believe the time has come for us to designate resource theft, mining, and stealing of minerals in the region as an international crime that threatens regional stability and galvanise the world against threats from stolen minerals from West Africa.”
