The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has mobilized no fewer than 2,220 of its personnel to curb illegal mining in the country.
NSCDC Assistant Commandant of the Mining Marshals, Mr. Attah Onoja made this known at the weekend in an interactive session with reporters in Abuja.
According to Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), Nigeria’s mining sector boasts 44 different types of commercially viable minerals worth an estimated $700bn, but limited capital injections, inadequate geo-mapping tools and widespread illegal mining have left the west African nation struggling to capitalise on its reserves.
The NSCDC chief explained that the operatives drawn from the 36 states of the federation have been tasked with the primary responsibility in combating the illegal mining operation across the country.
He explained that his outfit which is working on concert with Mining Police and other critical stakeholders would leave no stone unturned in ensuring full compliance to the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007.
He thereby urged Nigerians to rally round the activities of the Mining Marshals bent on not only securing the mining sector, but to ensure it contribute in repositioning the nation’s economy.
He noted: “Nigerians should see the Mining Marshals as a Nigerian project, not an individual project, not a project of the Minister of Solid Minerals but a Nigerian project to save the mining sector, because the mining sector needs to breath. The Mining Marshals are a critical unit established by the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr. Abubakar Audi.
“The Mining marshals will stop at nothing in ensuring full compliance to extant laws governing mining regulations in Nigeria and whoever is found wanting regardless of position and their affinity, the law will take its course and its important Nigerians begin to know that.
“Our duty is to ensure enforcement of these regulations that is already known to all miners. Where we have intelligence about illegal mining depending on the nature of the case, sometimes there are peculiar situations, we will write letter of invitations served on the companies and give them specific time and when we invite them we invite them in agreement of investigative activities and by so doing we will be able to unearth their level of compliance and we liaise with Ministry of Solid Minerals where relevant as well as mining cadastre office and this has helped in cases we have handled including in cases we have charged to court.”
