In a renewed push to curb the menace of illegal mining, the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Illegal Mining has identified the Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as a critical institutional partner in the ongoing campaign to sanitize the nation’s solid minerals sector.

The Committee, inaugurated at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, is seen by observers as a decisive policy move that could align legislative oversight with on-the-ground enforcement to tackle a multibillion-naira problem undermining the economy.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Sani Egidi Abdulraheem, said the committee’s establishment underscores the House’s determination to address a crisis that costs Nigeria an estimated $9 billion annually in lost revenue, insecurity, and environmental degradation.

“Our mission is clear — to block revenue leakages, enforce transparency, and ensure that every naira from our natural resources contributes to national prosperity,” Abdulraheem stated, describing illegal mining as both an economic crime and a national security threat.

He emphasized the NSCDC’s Mining Marshals as “indispensable” to achieving the committee’s goals, citing their field intelligence, operational reach, and enforcement capabilities as vital assets in the anti-illegal mining campaign.

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 intervention, calling the committee’s inauguration “a milestone in Nigeria’s collective resolve to secure its mineral assets.”

Attah explained 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. Dele Alake; the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; and the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Audi.

He noted that the initiative had empowered the Corps to dismantle illegal mining networks, arrest offenders, and confiscate illicit minerals, but stressed that stronger legislative backing and budgetary support were needed to sustain the momentum.

“We cannot do it alone,” Attah said. “The support of the National Assembly and other stakeholders is essential to strengthen our operations and close the legal gaps that embolden offenders.”

The committee chair reaffirmed that its work goes beyond oversight, saying it represents the legislature’s commitment to restoring transparency, order, and value in the solid minerals sector.

Analysts say the collaboration between the legislature, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Ministry of Interior, and the NSCDC signals a new era of synergy in governance that could finally deliver measurable results in Nigeria’s mining reforms.

Vanguard News