The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has called on legal miners to seek the services of appropriate authorities in settling coordinate discrepancies. The FCT commandant of the corps, Olusola Odumosu, gave the advice during an interview on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Odumosu opined that rather than the use of forces and security agencies to confront one another, it’s better to employ the services of the Mining Cadastral Office for clarification on the mapped out mining sites.

While reiterating that the NSCDC has the mandate to protect miners and legal mining activities across the country, he said it was imperative that miners adhere to the rules of engagement.

The commandant further said that in 2025, the command’s Mines and Steel Development Unit arrested no fewer than 50 suspected illegal miners in the FCT.

Giving a breakdown of the arrests, Odumosu said that the majority of the suspects were arrested at the Gwagwalada area council,  while others were arrested in the Kuje area of the FCT.

“In Gwagwalada, on February 16, 26 illegal miners were arrested, on March 11, five suspects, on May 7, one person, on May 8, three suspects, on May 14, three suspects, and on November 5, three persons were arrested, while 8 were apprehended in Kuje on July 3.

“They were all arrested for their involvement in illegal mining activities in the year under review. Many items were recovered from the suspects, such as vehicles, motorcycles, shovels, diggers, millers, and pumping machines, illicit drugs, locally made pistols and firearms,” he stated.

Mr Odumosu, however, said that the unit’s operations were challenged by confrontations between miners on site, insufficient operational vehicles, and the proliferation of illegal miners backed by superior authorities.

He acknowledged the collaborative efforts of sister agencies, especially the Nigerian Army and other security stakeholders, in the successful apprehension of illegal miners in 2025.

(NAN)