Unlawful excavation activities pose significant danger to national safety, according to NSCDC

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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has warned that illegal mining has evolved into a major national security threat, calling for stronger international collaboration to tackle the menace across the country.

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The Commander of the Mining Marshals Corps, Attah Onoja, made the declaration on Friday in Abuja during a visit by officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and donor partners from Canada to the NSCDC headquarters.

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Speaking on behalf of the Commandant General of the Corps, Ahmed Audi, Onoja said illegal mining had gone beyond an economic offence and now posed serious security challenges requiring coordinated and intelligence-driven responses.

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“Illegal mining is no longer just an economic crime. It has grown into a major national security threat that requires intelligence-driven and coordinated enforcement,” he said.

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He commended the UNODC and the Canadian government for supporting the project titled, “Strengthening Nigeria’s Response to Criminal and Terrorist Finance related to Minerals.”

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According to him, the partnership has strengthened the operational and investigative capacity of officers combating mineral-related crimes across the country.

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Onoja explained that the Mining Marshals Corps was established to protect Nigeria’s mineral resources and enforce mining laws through specialised units responsible for intelligence gathering, field operations, legal services, enforcement and community engagement.

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“Our mandate includes protecting the nation’s mineral resources, preventing illegal mining and prosecuting offenders involved in illegal mineral exploitation,” he stated.

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He disclosed that collaboration between the Corps and the UNODC began in 2025 through training programmes and consultations supported by Global Affairs Canada.

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The commander further revealed that 21 officers participated in a terrorism financing investigations training organised in November 2025, describing it as critical to improving investigations into organised crime, terrorism financing and illegal mining activities.

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Onoja said specialised units had since been deployed to illegal mining hotspots across the North-West and North-Central regions, adding that joint operations with relevant agencies had led to the dismantling of several illegal mining camps and the arrest of suspects.

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He added that the Corps had intensified intelligence gathering, surveillance and community engagement while supporting prosecution efforts with evidence obtained from field operations.

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The NSCDC appealed for additional international support in the areas of training, technical assistance, equipment and intelligence analysis to strengthen its operations against illegal mining.

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Onoja also stressed the need for exposure to international best practices in tackling cross-border smuggling networks and criminal syndicates exploiting Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.

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He reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to sustained collaboration with the UNODC and Canada to strengthen enforcement operations and intelligence-led strategies against illegal mining and related criminal activities.

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Speaking during the visit, Wilma Endamne of Global Affairs Canada commended the Mining Marshals Corps for its efforts in combating illegal mining, describing its operations as encouraging, especially in disrupting criminal networks and illicit financial flows linked to the sector.

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Also speaking, Tom Parker of the UNODC praised the Corps and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting its operations and institutional development.

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