Mining marshals, acting on credible intelligence, have arrested three Chinese nationals and two Nigerians on a mining site at Rafin-Gabas, Agwada Area Council, in Kokona Local Government of Nasarawa State.
Segun Tomori, the special assistant on media to Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, who confirmed the incident, said that the suspects were arrested for mining without lawful authorisation.
“Some of the minerals being mined include Fluorite, Zinc, Lead, and Tin. The arrested suspects confessed to having been on illicit activities at the site spanning five cadastral units since December 15, 2021”, he said.
He added that the company defied all lawful pieces of advice to regularise its activities and continued siphoning the nation’s resources, causing significant revenue losses to the federal government.
The 2,570-strong mining marshals, an elite squad of specially trained officers drafted from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), have continued the battle against illegal miners, with over 200 arrests so far, and about 140 undergoing prosecution across the country.
He said the Federal Government was committed to sanitising the mining sector. Hence, the operations of the mining marshals would be unrelenting until the mining environment is secure and safe for genuine investors.
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