Nigeria Reports 374 Illegal Mining Sites Across 17 States

Nigeria’s Mining Marshals have identified 374 unauthorised mining sites across 17 states as federal authorities intensify efforts to tackle illegal mining and tighten control over the country’s mineral resources.

The figures, attributed to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, indicate that 108 of the identified sites have been cleared, while 743 suspects have been arrested. Authorities have also reported 165 prosecuted cases involving 430 accused persons, with five convictions secured.

The figures highlight the scale of the enforcement challenge facing Nigeria as the government seeks to expand the contribution of the solid-minerals sector while restricting mining operations conducted outside the legal framework.

374 sites identified across 17 states

According to figures reported from the Federal Government’s mining-enforcement programme, the Mining Marshals have identified 374 illegal mining sites across 17 states.

The unit has reportedly shut or cleared 108 of those locations.

The government figures also indicate that 743 people have been arrested in connection with illegal mining activities, while 165 cases involving 430 accused persons have been prosecuted. Five convictions have so far been secured, according to the reported figures.

These figures should be understood as enforcement data. They do not necessarily represent a complete national inventory of all unauthorised mining operations.

The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development also maintains an online mining-title database for identifying licensed mineral operations, although the ministry cautions that data cleaning is ongoing.

NSCDC Mining Marshals lead enforcement operations

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ Mining Marshals have become a central part of the federal government’s response.

The specialised unit was established to support enforcement against illegal mining, protect licensed mining areas and help prevent unauthorised exploitation of mineral resources.

In a September 17 briefing, the NSCDC said its Mining Marshals had been conducting operations against illegal mining and had shut down multiple sites while arresting local and foreign suspects.

The Corps has also continued operations outside the locations highlighted in the latest national figures.

For example, NSCDC Mining Marshals arrested two suspects in the Federal Capital Territory in September over alleged illegal gold mining at a site that authorities said fell outside the boundaries of an approved exploration licence.

Such cases illustrate the distinction between a mining operation that holds a valid mineral title and one operating outside the area or conditions authorised by the government.

Why illegal mining is a major concern

Illegal mining creates several challenges for authorities.

At the economic level, unauthorised extraction can reduce the government’s ability to collect applicable royalties, taxes and other revenues associated with regulated mining.

It can also complicate efforts to develop reliable mineral-supply chains because minerals may be extracted, traded or processed outside the formal regulatory system.

Environmental damage is another concern.

Unregulated mining can involve excavation without adequate environmental safeguards, damage farmland and create abandoned pits that pose risks to nearby communities.

The issue has become particularly sensitive in areas where mining takes place close to homes, agricultural land or water sources.

Security concerns add another dimension

Authorities and security experts have also raised concerns about connections between illegal mining and wider criminal activity in some parts of the country.

The latest reporting on the sector has linked illegal mining in some North-West and North-Central locations with concerns about banditry, kidnapping and other security problems. Such links vary by location and should not be assumed to apply to every artisanal miner or every illegal mining operation.

This distinction is important because Nigeria has a large population of artisanal and small-scale miners who operate at different levels of formality.

An unauthorised mining operation and a small-scale miner working within a legal framework are not necessarily the same thing.

Human cost of mining enforcement

The scale of the crackdown has also brought renewed attention to the way mining laws are enforced.

The deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody in Niger State earlier in September have become the subject of separate federal and state investigations.

The detainees had been arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining around the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Minna. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation.

The incident has raised questions about detention conditions and the treatment of people arrested during mining-enforcement operations.

It also demonstrates why enforcement statistics need to be considered alongside questions of due process, detention standards and accountability.

Illegal mining continues despite enforcement

The reported identification of hundreds of sites does not mean that illegal mining has been eliminated from those areas.

Mining locations can be remote, dispersed and difficult to monitor. Operators may also move from one location to another when enforcement activity increases.

Recent enforcement operations demonstrate that the problem remains active.

In Niger State, for example, four Chinese nationals were arrested earlier in September over alleged unauthorised mining activities at Maiya’aki in Lapai Local Government Area. The case followed an inspection by state authorities after concerns were raised about mining operations at the location.

In the FCT, NSCDC Mining Marshals separately arrested two people over alleged unauthorised gold mining in Gwagwalada.

These cases show that enforcement activity is continuing in different parts of the country.

The challenge of formalising artisanal mining

A major policy challenge is distinguishing between enforcement and formalisation.

Many Nigerians depend on artisanal and small-scale mining for income. Closing unauthorised sites without providing practical legal pathways for miners can leave workers with limited alternatives and potentially push activity into other unregulated locations.

The government therefore faces two related tasks: enforcing mining laws and creating mechanisms through which eligible operators can participate legally in the sector.

Better registration, monitoring, licensing and traceability could help authorities distinguish lawful operations from illegal ones.

The Ministry’s mining-title portal provides access to information on valid mining titles, although the ministry says its database is undergoing data cleaning.

Environmental and community protection

The enforcement debate also extends beyond whether a mining site has a valid licence.

Authorities must consider what happens to land and communities after mining begins.

Abandoned pits can remain dangerous long after mining activity stops. Damage to agricultural land can also affect communities whose livelihoods depend on farming.

Where chemicals or other hazardous materials are used improperly, environmental contamination can create longer-term risks that extend beyond the immediate mining location.

For these reasons, effective regulation requires more than identifying and closing illegal sites. It also requires monitoring licensed operations and ensuring that environmental and safety obligations are followed.

What the latest figures show

The reported figure of 374 identified sites across 17 states provides an indication of the scale of the enforcement workload facing the federal government.

The additional figures, including 108 sites cleared, 743 arrests and 165 prosecuted cases involving 430 accused persons, show that enforcement has moved beyond site identification into arrests and prosecutions.

However, the figures do not by themselves establish how widespread illegal mining is across every part of Nigeria, nor do they show the total economic or environmental cost of the activity.

They are also subject to the limitations of enforcement reporting and the government’s ongoing efforts to improve information about mining operations.

As Nigeria seeks to develop its solid-minerals sector, the effectiveness of the response will depend not only on shutting illegal sites but also on improving licensing, monitoring, environmental protection, lawful artisanal mining and prosecution of proven offences.

For now, the government’s latest figures show that illegal mining remains a substantial regulatory challenge, with hundreds of sites identified and enforcement operations continuing across multiple states.