KEY POINTS

• Oshiomhole reveals that retired military officers lead criminal mining activities throughout the country.
• He wants military powers originally aimed at fighting oil bunkering operations to be used against illegal mining activities.
• Economic diversification enforcement measures should be strengthened according to the Senate Committee.

Chairman of Senate Committee on Interior and former Edo State Governor Senator Adams Oshiomhole asserts that retired military generals actively help execute illegal mining across Nigeria.

During the Solid Minerals Development Senate Committee meeting in Abuja, Oshiomhole urged prompt action to solve this problem.

President Bola Tinubu’s goals of economic diversification face serious risk because illegal mining persists without resolution. The situation worsens due to insufficient standardized enforcement practices says Oshiomhole.

The Nigerian military maintains direct action against illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta but illegal mining activities within the solid minerals industry persist unhindered.

Calls for a unified approach

Oshiomhole condemned the opposite standards used to enforce implementation of resource extraction laws. The leader proposed deploying a military-police-air-force Joint Task Force (JTF) exactly as government used against oil bunkering to stop illegal mining activities.

Several retired generals carefully organize illegal activities that involve high-end weapons platforms and helicopter assets through which they extract gold as well as other minerals from the ground,’ he explained.

Oshiomhole reported foreign nationals perform illegal mining operations under protection from supplied weapons thus making enforcement of these operations more challenging.

During his time as APC National Chairman he identified illicit resources involved in criminal operations and showed them to former President Muhammadu Buhari seeking authority to bring charges against key suspects from the same trade.

Government authorities should demonstrate extreme effectiveness against all irregular mining operations without any discrimination regarding the identity of actors involved. Oshiomhole maintained “We should enforce the same tactics used against oil bunkerers on the illegal mining operations.”

Addressing the root of the problem

For solving the matter Oshiomhole stressed how both transparency and courage must play essential roles. Military officers alongside civil servants and prominent figures in illegal mining operations should face appropriate legal consequences according to his recommendation.

As part of his initiative the Senate Committee endorsed stronger enforcement measures suggested by Oshiomhole. The Senate Committee recommended that security organizations adopt military-style methods to fight illegal oil bunkering while insisting on economic diversification for national financial stability.