Nigeria’s Mining War Under Tinubu: A repord card

 

When the five-year mining ban in Zamfara State was lifted in 2024, it signaled a renewed push to harness Nigeria’s solid mineral resources for economic growth, particularly as the country seeks to diversify its economy.

The decision came amid concerns over illegal mining activities linked to banditry and shadowed by what analysts described as “powerful individuals.”

However, the Zamfara mining ban created a vacuum that was exploited by illegal miners to plunder the nation’s mineral resources.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) estimates that such activities cost Nigeria about $9 billion in revenue annually, even as 63 per cent of Nigerians approximately 133 million people remain multidimensionally poor.

The decision to reverse the ban was particularly significant because the state possesses critical minerals in commercial quantities that are essential to the global energy transition.

The Commitment and Wins

When President Bola Tinubu assumed office, he expressed a commitment to addressing the menace of illegal mining and repositioning the sector to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

NEITI had repeatedly lamented that the sector’s contribution to the economy at less than one per cent was far below its potential.

Tinubu unveiled a roadmap aimed at transforming Nigeria’s economy into a three-trillion-dollar economy by the end of his second term.

Central to this vision is economic diversification and reducing the country’s overdependence on oil revenue through developing other sectors of the economy including the solid minerals sector.

The first step President Tinubu took was the creation of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development from the former Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, alongside the appointment of his close ally, Dele Alake, as minister.

Alake quickly set to work, repeatedly asserting that powerful individuals involved in illegal mining were financing banditry and this was one of the reasons the problem had become deeply entrenched and difficult to resolve.

His allegations were echoed by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, while several Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also raised similar concerns. Nevertheless, Alake pursued dual-pronged strategy to combat illegal mining through both persuasive and coercive measures.

On the persuasive side, the government focused on formalising the activities of small-scale and artisanal miners through cooperatives to transition from illegal mining. So far, more than 250 mining cooperatives have been established

On the coercive side, Mining Marshals (MM) was established in 2024 to address the surge in illegal mining operations and protect the country’s mineral resources.

 

The security personnel were drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and trained on strategic and tactical skills to detect, engage and combat illegal miners, bandits and other criminal elements in the sector.

The minister recently at the official unveiling of the Early-Stage Mineral Exploration and Research Grant Endowment (EMERGE) programme said the marshals during enforcement operations have apprehended more than 300 illegal miners and secured 150 prosecutions.

“This is including the recent arrest of a syndicate unlawfully extracting lithium in Nasarawa. The message is now unmistakable: those who steal from Nigeria will answer for it,” he said.

These prosecutions include foreigners and led to nine convictions in 2025, while enforcement efforts also led to the recovery of close to 100 illicit sites signaling that Nigeria means business.

The Marshals recovered the sites by clearing illegal miners who had occupied licenced areas for more than a decade, preventing the rightful owners from operating.

According to the minister, the MM identified 457 suspected illegal mining sites and strengthened intelligence gathering on these locations.

He said they used technology in their operations, including miniature robots and drones for surveillance purposes.

He added that they deployed communication tools to provide early warnings, enabling them to distinguish unarmed civilians from armed bandits, who are the primary targets of their operations.

Simply put, the initiative ushered in a new era of surveillance and enforcement at mining sites, aimed at repositioning the sector.

In the same vein, the Federal Executive Council in 2025 approved N2.5 billion for the procurement of satellite technology to curb unlicenced and unregulated mining operations that have led to significant revenue leakages and environmental degradation.

The solid minerals minister said the satellite equipment would be installed in strategic locations to provide real-time visual monitoring of mining operations nationwide.

According to him, once linked to a central command centre, the technology will enable authorities to track mineral extraction, monitor truck movements and assess security conditions at mining sites.

To complement these, the Federal Government recently procured and deployed eight operational gun trucks to strengthen the crackdown on illegal mining across the country.

The government has also sought to reassure investors of ongoing reforms in the sector.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the 2026 Powering Africa Summit in Washington, Alake said Nigeria had successfully derisked and sanitised the mining environment, making it more conducive to foreign direct investment.

He said the move had attracted 2.6 billion dollars FDI into the sector.

While these developments have been commended by some stakeholders, others argue that most of those arrested are small-scale miners and that enforcement has been relatively lenient, with penalties insufficient to serve as a deterrent.

However, a major breakthrough was recorded in 2025. On Sept. 11, a Federal High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced Mahmud Usman.

Also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, a commander of the Ansaru terrorist group, to 15 years’ imprisonment for engaging in illegal mining activities in Nigeria.

Usman, alongside his deputy, Abubakar Abba, also known as Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, was alleged to have committed the offence between 2015 and 2025.

They were accused of mining precious minerals, including thunder stones and California stones, without lawful authority.

Stakeholders describe the conviction of the Ansaru leader as a major milestone in the fight against illegal mining, with the judgment expected to serve as deterrent to others involved  in similar activities.

They observe that the conviction demonstrates that the fight against illegal mining is moving beyond rhetoric to concrete action.

Gaps in Combating Illegal Mining

Although the solid minerals minister said Nigeria has undertaken comprehensive reforms  targeting illegal mining but weak regulatory structures, insecurity, dormant licences and lack of transparency still persists in the sector.

Among these challenges, analysts say a major gap remains weak enforcement capacity and lack of proper oversight at mining sites across the country particularly at the local level

They noted that illegal mining often takes place in remote areas where government presence is limited.

Such areas, they say, are typically marked by weak monitoring and enforcement capacity, with agencies often under-equipped and under-resourced to sustain long-term surveillance and operations.

Stakeholders say that this has led to the illegal operation of mines with poor safety standards, where miners often work without protective equipment, resulting in mine collapses, gas poisoning and fatalities.

Against the backdrop, Dele Ayankale, the National President of Miners Association Of Nigeria (MAN) has consistently emphasised the need to strengthen the manpower of regulatory bodies deployed to mining sites to ensure compliance with safety standard.

Similarly, a report by the Renevyln Development Initiative (RDI) says the absence of effective enforcement by relevant government agencies has enabled both foreign and artisanal miners to operate with little regard for standards or community welfare.

To address these challenges, stakeholders say there is a need for increased manpower, resources and stronger regulatory oversight.

For instance, while it is true that the Mining Marshals started with 2,220 personnel and grew to 2,670 as of 2025, albeit, the number remains insufficient to expand operations beyond the 10 states they cover to other states.

Although the Minister of Solid Minerals Development said personnel would be expanded and additional logistics provided to strengthen the marshals’ operational capacity, challenges persist in scaling enforcement across mining sites nationwide.

Other stakeholders argue that the mining marshals should not work in isolation but only complement the operations of the Mines Department and work in close coordination with it.

Moreover, the marshals are also facing several challenges typical of the complex mining sector, including allegations of corruption by mining operators.

They have been accused of compromise, including receiving bribes, claims which the Commander, Attah Onoja, has dismissed.

In March, Onoja filed a N20 billion defamation suit against a legal practitioner and an online journalist over allegations that he demanded a N50 million bribe to secure the release of suspects arrested for illegal mining.

The case is one of several controversies surrounding the Mining Marshals. In a related development, the minister also defended the marshals, describing the allegations against them as unsubstantiated and aimed at frustrating their efforts.

He said that unless there was concrete evidence of misconduct or misdemeanour, he remained resolute and would not be swayed by any form of inducement or blackmail to remove the head of the unit.

Meanwhile, fresh controversy emerged when the Commander of the Mining Marshals, John Onoja, rejected a police report linking one of his officers to more than N2 billion in suspicious transactions following the death of a Mining Marshals operative.

Onoja said the unit had come under repeated blackmail attempts aimed at tarnishing its image and undermining its operations.

Yet, despite the controversies that have trailed its operations, he maintained that the marshals remained focused on its mandate and would not be distracted from its efforts to curb illegal mining across the country.

However, beyond enforcement challenges, analysts say the fight against illegal mining is also hindered by corruption and a porous regulatory system.

They argue that some illegal operators continue to operate through protection networks involving local actors, making enforcement inconsistent and in some cases, selective.

Among them is an activist, Dr Abdullahi Jabi, who argued that illegal mining persists because it has become a venture for the privileged and powerful in society.

He alleged that they engage expatriates and deploy technology to extract and cart away minerals.

Some CSOs have also echoed the same view that illegal mining continues to thrive due to the alleged involvement of powerful individuals who provide protection for the illicit trade.

The Executive Director of the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Philip Jakpor said some Chinese nationals have also been linked to illegal mining activities.

This claim is reinforced by recent arrests, as Chinese nationals were among the more than 150 suspected illegal miners apprehended by authorities.

According to Jakpor, such operations are unlikely to thrive without the support of collaborators within government institutions who benefit from the proceeds and deliberately overlook the activities.

He alleged that some Chinese companies registered as agro commodity firms had transitioned in to lithium collection without  proper regulation, the situation, he said required urgent attention.

Supporting this concern, the RDI report  confirmed an active and expanding Chinese presence in Nigeria’s mineral corridors, sustained by impunity, weak and inconsistent enforcement, governance gaps, internal collusion and poor community protection systems.

Another gap stakeholders say fueling illegal mining is the incomplete formalisation of artisanal and small-scale miners which must be handled with seriousness.

They say, while cooperatives are being established, many miners still operate outside the formal system due to lack of awareness, bureaucratic bottlenecks or limited access to licences, finance and technical support.

Analysts argue that it remains unclear how the cooperatives created under the formalisation programme are licenced to operate, considering that mining licences are tied to specific coordinates and cadastral units.

Beyond licencing concerns, stakeholders say security remains a critical gap in several mining areas, including Zamfara, where illegal mining is linked to armed groups and banditry, making enforcement operations dangerous and politically sensitive.

The situation, they say, weakens sustained government presence in affected regions and creates room for illegal operators to continue their activities.

Experts also argue that limited data transparency and weak monitoring systems make it difficult to accurately measure production, trace mineral flows and quantify losses from illegal mining in real time.

A 2026 NEITI policy brief on illicit financial flows in the mining sector found that weak data governance, poor transparency, fragmented oversight and the absence of an integrated monitoring system have made it difficult to track production, exports and mineral flows.

The report noted that key institutions often operate in silos, with limited data sharing and no integrated monitoring framework, creating gaps that can be exploited by illegal mining operators.

Overall, stakeholders say that while policy direction has improved, weak implementation, limited enforcement capacity and governance challenges remain major obstacles undermining Nigeria’s response to illegal mining.

The Realities

On the ground in Nigeria’s mining areas, stakeholders say the reality of illegal mining is more complex and often more entrenched than policy responses suggest.

They say in many mineral-rich communities especially in the North-West, North-Central and parts of the South-West illegal mining is a well-organised informal economy.

Economists say, it provides livelihoods for thousands of people, including local residents, migrants and even foreign nationals, making it difficult for authorities to shut it down without creating social and economic disruption.

The President of the Gemstone Miners and Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMMAN), Adeniran Ajibade described poverty as a key driver to illegal mining, saying as long as it persists, people will continue to turn to mineral resources for survival.

Analysts say insecurity remains a defining feature of illegal mining, with several locations across the country witnessing direct or indirect links with armed groups and banditry.

In some cases, they allege, miners operate under the protection of armed actors, while in others, mining sites are situated in areas already plagued by insecurity, making government intervention difficult and perceived as ineffective.

Compounding the challenge, stakeholders say, is the limited presence of the state in many mining communities.

They say, regulatory agencies, environmental inspectors and security personnel are often absent or make only occasional visits, creating an environment in which illegal operations continue with little disruption.

Another factor, analysts observe is the blurred distinction between legal and illegal mining.

They say many artisanal miners operate without formal licences, not necessarily out of defiance, but because of limited access to registration processes, financing, equipment and clear pathways into the formal mining system.

As a result, a vast “grey zone” has emerged, making regulation and enforcement increasingly difficult.

Analysts also note that local economies in many mining communities are heavily dependent on mining activities.

In some areas, mining remains the primary source of livelihood and efforts to clamp down illegal operations are sometimes resisted or quietly undermined by local actors who benefit from the trade.

Experts say corruption and patronage networks further complicate the situation.

In some locations, they say, illegal mining reportedly persists with the knowledge or alleged protection of influential actors, weakening enforcement efforts and eroding public confidence in regulatory institutions.

Meanwhile, experts say the environmental consequences are evident across many sites.

They say land degradation, water pollution and abandoned pits have become common features of affected communities, while remediation efforts remain largely inadequate.

Overall, these realities, they say, paint a complex picture of illegal minning in Nigeria, one shaped by insecurity, poverty-driven participation, weak governance and entrenched informal networks.

Consequently, they say the challenge extends beyond  law enforcement , but also a socio-economic and security challenge.

Way Forward

Reports reveal that addressing illegal mining requires integrated approaches that combine governance reforms, community engagement, livelihood alternatives and intelligence-driven security measures.

A CSO official, Dr Abdullahi Jabi, however, noted that while the Federal Government was repositioning the country through various reforms, Nigeria’s challenges, including illegal mining, remained multidimensional.

He said the issues could not be resolved through a quick fix, considering the circumstances inherited by the Tinubu administration.

The Federal Government, he added, should be encouraged and supported in the discharge of its responsibilities.

Beyond government efforts, analysts say that addressing illegal mining sustainably requires moving beyond enforcement alone and tackling governance, livelihood, and security challenges simultaneously.

They argue that artisanal and small-scale mining must be fully formalised through practical measures such as simplifying licencing procedures, reducing costs and integrating miners into cooperatives with genuine access to permits, training and technical support.

Studies show that formalisation can only succeed if the process is accessible and free from excessive bureaucratic restrictions.

Consequently, experts say enforcement efforts must be strengthened and made more intelligence-driven, rather than relying on occasional raids and reactive interventions.

Mr Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), says local communities should be actively involved in monitoring and policing their environment.

In addition, some experts say Nigeria requires sustained monitoring of illegal mining hotspots, stronger surveillance systems and better coordination between mining authorities and security agencies to dismantle organised illegal mining networks.

They maintain that addressing the security dimension of illegal mining is critical.

In areas where illegal mining is linked to banditry or armed groups, they recommend integrating mining reforms into broader security strategies, including community policing, intelligence gathering and the stabilisation of mining communities.

Supporting this position, the National President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr Dele Ayankale, responded to calls by some northern governors for the suspension of mining activities due to banditry.

He argued that, rather than suspending mining operations, governors should deploy part of their security votes or establish special intervention funds to strengthen the operations of the Mining Marshals and other lawful initiatives aimed at combating illegal mining.

Also, studies recommend equipping Mining Marshals with advanced tools such as drones, GPS technology and modern data systems to improve oversight and efficiency.

Beyond security concerns, some stakeholders insist that sanitising the sector requires greater transparency and accountability.

They argue that strengthening mineral tracking systems, publishing data on mining licences and ensuring revenue transparency can reduce opportunities for diversion, corruption and illicit mineral trade.

CSOs have also emphasised that community development must remain central to mining operations.

They say local communities should benefit directly from mining activities through employment opportunities, infrastructure development and revenue-sharing mechanisms.

Economists contend that when communities experience tangible benefits from mining, they are more likely to resist illegal operators and support regulatory measures.

Meanwhile, experts say environmental enforcement and rehabilitation efforts should be strengthened.

Ms Rose Ndong, the President of the Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society(NMGS) argue that mining operators must be held accountable for land restoration and environmental protection to prevent long-term ecological damage.

Analysts further maintain that stronger political will and improved coordination among federal, state and local governments are essential.

According to them, illegal mining often thrives in environments characterised by weak governance structures, making consistent policy implementation and institutional collaboration imperative.

Ultimately, stakeholders say the way forward lies in a balanced approach that combines enforcement, formalisation, security interventions and community inclusion, rather than relying solely on crackdowns and punitive measures.