The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Illegal Mining has identified the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)’s Mining Marshals as a vital institutional ally in the national effort to combat illegal mining and restore order in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
The Committee, inaugurated at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, is seen by stakeholders as a decisive step toward aligning legislative oversight with on-the-ground enforcement to curb the multibillion-naira menace of illegal mining.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Sani Egidi Abdulraheem, said the establishment of the panel demonstrates the House’s resolve to confront a national crisis that costs Nigeria an estimated $9 billion annually through lost revenue, insecurity, and environmental degradation.
“Our mission is clear, to block revenue leakages, enforce transparency, and ensure that every naira derived from our natural resources contributes to national prosperity,” Abdulraheem said. He described illegal mining as “both an economic crime and a threat to national stability.”
He emphasized the crucial role of the NSCDC’s Mining Marshals in achieving the committee’s mandate, noting that their “field intelligence, operational reach, and enforcement capacity” make them indispensable partners in sanitizing the mining industry.
Representing the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, John Onoja Attah, commended the National Assembly’s initiative, describing the committee’s inauguration as “a milestone in Nigeria’s collective resolve to secure its mineral assets.”
Attah recalled that the Mining Marshals were established under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, through the collaboration of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Henry Dele Alake, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Audi.
He lauded the leadership and policy environment provided by the trio, noting that it has strengthened the Corps’ capacity to protect legitimate mining operations and secure national mineral assets.
“Since our inauguration, we have made significant progress in dismantling illegal mining networks, arresting perpetrators, and seizing illicit minerals,” Attah said. “But we cannot do it alone. Legislative and institutional support is essential to strengthen our operations and close the loopholes that embolden offenders.”
He called on lawmakers to pursue reforms such as increased budgetary allocations, stronger inter-agency cooperation, stricter penalties for offenders, and grassroots sensitization to discourage community complicity in illegal mining.
In his remarks, Abdulraheem reiterated that the committee’s mandate goes beyond oversight. “This is about restoring order, transparency, and economic value in the solid minerals sector. We will leave no stone unturned in reclaiming this sector from criminality and inefficiency,” he declared.
Observers at the event noted that the collaboration between the House of Representatives, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Ministry of Interior, and the NSCDC represents a rare and promising synergy within Nigeria’s governance structure, one capable of translating policy intent into measurable outcomes.
The inauguration attracted participants from the security, mining, and policy sectors, many of whom described it as the beginning of a “new era of accountability” for a sector long plagued by unregulated exploitation and institutional inertia.
As Nigeria intensifies efforts to diversify its economy beyond oil, the partnership between the legislature and the NSCDC’s Mining Marshals offers a viable pathway to restore accountability, security, and sustainable growth in one of the nation’s most critical but underutilized industries.
