By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Commander of the Mining Marshals, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. John Attah Onoja, has reaffirmed the commitment of the specialised unit to dismantling illegal mining cartels and disrupting illicit financial networks linked to banditry, kidnapping and terrorism across the country.
Onoja made the declaration on Thursday in Abuja while receiving members of the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN), led by its President, Mr. Odita Sunday, during a courtesy visit to his office.
Speaking during the visit, Odita commended the Federal Government and the NSCDC for establishing the Mining Marshals, describing the initiative as a strategic response to the growing security, economic and environmental threats posed by illegal mining. He assured the command of DECAN’s commitment to professional, accurate and responsible reporting of security operations while safeguarding operational security.
The Mining Marshals commander stressed that illegal mining had evolved beyond an economic and environmental concern, becoming a significant security challenge capable of financing criminal and terrorist activities.
“It is not necessarily about picking up weapons and fighting bandits or kidnappers. We must ask: how do the people in those forests feed? How do they get money?” Onoja said.
According to him, cutting off the financial lifelines of criminal groups remains one of the most effective strategies for weakening their operational capabilities.
“We want to make criminality less lucrative. You can only make it less lucrative if the illicit flow of finances to terrorist groups is disrupted,” he added.
Onoja disclosed that the Mining Marshals had adopted intelligence-driven operations involving the identification, arrest, investigation and prosecution of offenders to ensure that perpetrators of illegal mining activities face the full weight of the law.
He said the unit would continue to maintain its presence across mining communities as part of its deterrence strategy despite challenges related to manpower and logistics.
The commander called on the media, particularly defence correspondents, to support efforts aimed at sanitising the mining sector through factual, balanced and sustained reportage.
“I do not take your role for granted. The sanitised mining sector of our dream will be achieved through collaboration, and the major stakeholder in that collaboration is the media,” he said.
Onoja also urged journalists to assess the performance of the Mining Marshals in the context of the resources available to the operation, noting that inadequate logistics remained a major limitation.
He, however, identified alleged collusion by some compromised officials within relevant institutions and agencies as one of the biggest obstacles to the fight against illegal mining.
“The major bottleneck we face today is not necessarily the number of illegal miners out there, but the number of compromised officials of institutions and agencies that are supposed to be partners in the fight against illegal mining,” he stated.
He alleged that some of the compromised officials had resorted to blackmail and petitions against Mining Marshals personnel in an attempt to frustrate ongoing operations.
“That is corruption fighting back,” Onoja said, insisting that the campaign against illegal mining must be pursued with sincerity, determination and without selective enforcement.
Earlier, Odita noted that illegal mining posed serious threats to national revenue generation, environmental sustainability and national security, making collaboration among security agencies, government institutions, communities and the media essential.
“As defence correspondents, we understand that effective security operations require not only the commitment of security agencies but also responsible and accurate public communication,” he said.
He assured the Mining Marshals of DECAN’s support through objective coverage while ensuring that reports do not compromise personnel safety or ongoing operations.
Odita also advocated stronger engagement between the command and accredited defence correspondents through regular briefings, field visits and other professional interactions aimed at enhancing public understanding of the dangers of illegal mining.
He emphasised that combating illegal mining requires a collective effort involving security agencies, traditional institutions, mining communities, government bodies and the media.
The Mining Marshals was launched on March 21, 2024, as a specialised NSCDC operation established to combat illegal mining and safeguard Nigeria’s critical mineral resources.
