By Stella Odueme
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has urged youths in Kogi State to persuade community elders, traditional leaders and local authorities to withdraw any form of support for illegal miners.
Alake made the appeal on Thursday while receiving members of the Concerned Kogi Youths Against Environmental Degradation, who visited the Ministry to protest the environmental impact of mining activities in parts of Kogi State,his Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wyse, said in a statement. .The Minister commended the youths for supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to tackle illegal mining, assuring them that the Ministry was deploying technology and strengthening the operations of the Mining Marshals to intensify the fight against the menace.
He said Kogi State had remained a major area of concern, recalling that the first major operation of the Mining Marshals involved the removal of illegal miners from an area covered by Licence 19325, belonging to North-South Extractive Industries in Yagba East Local Government Area of the state.
Alake said the Mining Marshals had recorded significant successes in the campaign against illegal mining.
“Between March 2024 and August 2026, the Mining Marshals identified 374 illegal mining sites. To date, 108 of such sites have been cleared. We have arrested 743 suspects and are prosecuting 165 cases involving 430 accused persons. So far, we have secured five convictions,” he said.
The Minister noted that investigations conducted by committees sent to Kogi State over similar complaints revealed that many illegal miners were local residents allegedly receiving support from influential individuals within their communities.
According to him, illegal mining was undermining legitimate operators who had invested in licences and were required to pay royalties to the government.
He warned that illegal miners and their collaborators would soon have nowhere to hide as the Federal Government strengthens enforcement through technology and the Mining Marshals.
Alake therefore urged the Kogi youths to take the campaign against illegal mining to their communities.
He said the youths should engage their elders, community leaders and local authorities and convince them to allow law enforcement agencies and relevant government institutions to effectively tackle illegal mining and environmental degradation.
The Minister was represented by the Director of Mining Inspectorate, Engr. Imam Ganiyu; Director of Mining Environmental Compliance, Dr Vivian Okono; Director of Special Duties, Engr. Frank Odom; Director of Human Resources, Dr Ijeoma Idika; and Commander of the Mining Marshals, John Attah Onoja.
Earlier, the Co-ordinator of the Concerned Kogi Youths Against Environmental Degradation, Comrade Isaiah Davies Ijele, said the group was concerned about alleged environmental degradation in Kogi East Senatorial District, particularly in Ankpa and Omala communities.
He alleged that some mining activities were being conducted without adequate compliance with environmental and regulatory standards, resulting in damaged roads, destruction of farmlands, pollution of water sources and hardship for affected communities.
Ijele called on the Ministry to investigate mining activities in Ankpa and Omala Local Government Areas and deploy the Mines Inspectorate and Mining Marshals to ensure compliance with relevant laws.
He also urged the Federal Government to take action against mining companies found to be operating in violation of environmental regulations.
In response, the Director of Mining Environmental Compliance, Dr Vivian Okono, said the Ministry was compiling a list of mining companies that had defaulted on their Community Development Agreements.
She said the Ministry would soon publish the names of the affected companies while other appropriate sanctions would also be applied.
