150 prosecutions, $2.6bn FDI — but illegal mining still bleeds Nigeria; reports KEHINDE ADEGOKE.
For decades, Nigeria’s vast mineral wealth has been a paradox: rich beneath the soil, yet yielding little benefit above it.
That paradox is captured in one staggering figure — $9 billion, an estimated N14 trillion lost.
According to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Nigeria loses about $9 billion annually to illegal mining, a staggering drain on national revenue at a time when more than 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty.
Determined to reverse the trend, President Bola Tinubu has launched what is arguably Nigeria’s most aggressive crackdown on illegal mining in recent history.
Nearly three years into the administration, the scorecard is beginning to take shape.
According to the Federal Government, more than 300 illegal miners have been arrested, over 150 prosecutions initiated, and at least nine convictions secured in 2025 alone. Authorities have also reclaimed almost 100 mining sites previously occupied by illegal operators.
At the centre of the campaign is a broader ambition: transforming the solid minerals sector into a major pillar of economic diversification and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil revenues.
The effort gained momentum in 2024 when the Federal Government lifted the five-year mining ban in Zamfara State, a region rich in gold, lithium and other strategic minerals critical to the global energy transition.
Soon after assuming office, Tinubu split the former Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, creating the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and appointing Dele Alake to lead the sector’s transformation.
The administration adopted a dual strategy.
One arm focuses on enforcement. The other seeks to formalise artisanal mining operations and bring thousands of informal miners into the legal economy.
Under the formalisation programme, more than 250 mining cooperatives have been established across the country, offering artisanal miners a pathway to legal operations.
The more visible aspect of the reforms, however, has been the creation of the Mining Marshals, a specialised security unit drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The unit has become the spearhead of the government’s anti-illegal mining campaign.
Officials say the marshals have identified 457 suspected illegal mining sites, deployed drones and surveillance technology, and dismantled several illicit mining networks.
One of the most significant breakthroughs came with the conviction of Mahmud Usman, an Ansaru terrorist commander, who was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for illegal mining offences. Stakeholders described the conviction as a watershed moment, linking criminal mining activities to wider security threats.
The Federal Government has further strengthened enforcement by approving a record N2.5 billion for satellite surveillance technology capable of tracking mining activities nationwide in real time.
To bolster field operations, authorities have also deployed operational gun trucks and expanded the Mining Marshals’ personnel strength to more than 2,600 officers.
The reforms appear to be sending positive signals to investors.
Speaking at the 2026 Powering Africa Summit in Washington, Alake disclosed that reforms aimed at sanitising and derisking the sector had attracted approximately $2.6 billion in foreign direct investment.
Yet, despite the impressive numbers, significant challenges remain.
Illegal mining continues to thrive across mineral-rich regions, fuelled by poverty, insecurity, weak regulation and allegations of protection from influential actors.
Industry observers argue that while hundreds of arrests have been made, many of those apprehended are small-scale operators, while the financiers and powerful networks allegedly behind the illicit trade remain largely beyond the reach of law enforcement.
Questions also persist over enforcement capacity.
Although the Mining Marshals have expanded their operations, they currently cover only a fraction of Nigeria’s mining locations. Analysts say weak oversight, inadequate manpower and limited state presence in remote communities continue to create opportunities for illegal operators.
Corruption allegations have also trailed enforcement efforts, highlighting the complexity of a sector where billions of dollars are at stake.
Beyond enforcement, experts argue that illegal mining is fundamentally a socio-economic challenge.
In many communities, mining has become a critical source of livelihood, making outright crackdowns difficult without creating economic disruption.
For this reason, stakeholders insist that formalisation, community inclusion, stronger governance and improved transparency must accompany security operations.
The reality is that while Tinubu’s administration has recorded measurable gains in the fight against illegal mining, the war is far from being over.
The numbers tell a story of progress — but also of unfinished business.
Three hundred arrests and billions in fresh investment point to momentum.
Yet as long as Nigeria continues to lose an estimated ₦14 trillion ($9 billion) annually to illegal mining, the battle for control of the country’s vast mineral wealth will remain one of its most pressing economic, security and governance challenges.
𝐊𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝-𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟏𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐦, 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬, 𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐦 | 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬.𝐜𝐨𝐦 | 𝟎𝟖𝟎𝟑𝟗𝟏𝟑𝟓𝟒𝟕𝟐 | 𝐈𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐧, 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚