Mining Marshals Go After Illegal Miners’ Cash Pipeline, Target Funds Linked to Banditry, Kidnapping

By Princess-Ekwi Ajide

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has announced a renewed offensive against illegal mining, with the Mining Marshals shifting focus to the financial networks sustaining criminal mining operations across the country.

Commander of the Mining Marshals, Mr John Attah Onoja, disclosed this in Abuja when the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria, DECAN, led by its President, Odita Sunday, paid a courtesy visit to his office.

Onoja said the Mining Marshals would intensify intelligence-led operations aimed at identifying, arresting, investigating and prosecuting illegal miners and members of mining cartels, particularly those whose activities are suspected to generate funds for banditry, kidnapping and terrorism.

He explained that targeting the money trail was essential to weakening criminal networks, stressing that the objective was to make illegal mining financially unattractive to those involved.

The Commander, however, identified alleged collusion between compromised officials and illegal miners as one of the major challenges confronting enforcement efforts.

He described attempts to frustrate legitimate operations as “corruption fighting back”, insisting that the Mining Marshals would continue to maintain a presence in mining communities despite manpower and logistical constraints.

Onoja also called for stronger collaboration with the media, noting that accurate and sustained reporting could help expose the wider security implications of illegal mining and educate the public on the dangers posed by the illicit exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral resources.

Responding, DECAN President, Odita Sunday, pledged the association’s commitment to professional coverage of the campaign against illegal mining.

He also advocated regular engagement between journalists and the Mining Marshals to improve public understanding, reduce misinformation and ensure that security-sensitive operational details are handled responsibly.

The Mining Marshals was established by the NSCDC in March 2024 to combat illegal mining activities and protect Nigeria’s mineral resources.

With the latest strategy, the battle is moving beyond the mining sites as security authorities seek to follow the money trail behind the minerals.