The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Sunday described the 15-year jail term handed to Ansaru commander Mahmud Usman as a landmark victory in Nigeria’s ongoing war against illegal mining.

On Thursday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, convicted Usman and sentenced him to prison while also ordering that he face trial on 31 other terrorism-related charges.
Commending the judiciary for supporting the efforts of the ministry to crush illegal mining, Alake said the verdict has finally established that bandits engage in illegal mining to fund their operations.

“It is gratifying for me that the judiciary is aligned with the ministry’s objective of zero tolerance for illegal mining. Further tightening of the noose around illegalities in mining continues as more drastic measures will be announced shortly,” he said.

Alake said the ministry shall monitor the proceedings of the remaining 31 cases of terrorism against the Ansaru commanders, noting that the regulators of the mining sector have a lot to learn from these cases to improve their capacity to counter illegal mining.

In a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Segun Tomori, Alake also praised the Directorate of State Services (DSS) for the yeoman’s job of monitoring, detecting, and arresting terrorists to face the wrath of the law.

He said: “We shall increase inter-agency collaboration to raise the tempo of surveillance to rid our communities of illegal mining perpetrated by bandits.”

Translated as the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, the Ansaru group is facing court charges for attacking the Nigerian Army Wawa Cantonment and raiding Kuje Prisons, Abuja, in 2022, among other terrorist activities.

Recall that the Minister set up the Mining Marshals in 2024 to combat illegal mining and improve the security of the sector.