The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, Friday, in Abuja said true to expectations, the embarrassing incidence of illegal mining in Nigeria has reduced due to the aggressive drive of the marshal in line with their mandate.
The achievement is as the ministry mark one year anniversary of the formation of mining marshal to combat illegal mining activities in the country
Alake, flagged by the Commandant of the Marshal, Mr John Attah Onoja, and other key officials of the ministry, noted with excitement that the federal government is so far pleased with the performances of the marshal which was inaugurated on March 21 2024.
While giving details of the exploits of the marshal in the last one year, he said that so far, about 327 persons have been arrested within the period, 457 illegal sites have been identified while over 98 approved sites were recovered and handed over to the rightful owners which, he said, has contributed in the revenue projection of the government.
He also said as a result of the pressure mounted by the men of the marshal, a foreign association whose nationals have been involved in illegal mining activities in the country equally met him in the office a couple of weeks ago with a commitment to follow the rule of mining in Nigeria in order to avoid giving them a bad name.
Alake used the opportunity to commend the judiciary and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for convicting some foreigners involved in illegal mining activities in Kwara state.
“We must thank the judiciary for treating cases of illegal mining with dispatch by dispensing justice with close eyes to both indigenous and foreign violators of Nigerian mining laws. In the same way, we commend the EFCC for its diligent prosecution of illegal miners,” he said.
Impressed by the performances of the corps, he said arrangements are on the way to beef up the number so that they can cover the entire country as at presently, he said they only cover 10 states of Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Kaduna, Enugu, Abia, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory.
To strengthen the marshal, he announced that the Federal Executive Council has approved the deployment of technology to enhance security architecture for the mineral sector.
While commending the media for a credible partnership, he announced the endowment of an annual prize for the Best Reporter on Solid Minerals Development in Nigeria to be administered by Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) whose inaugural event, he said would start in 2025.
Earlier, the Commander JA Onoja promised that he and his men would double their efforts haven seen the commitment of the minister towards standard practice in the mining sector.