EFCC apprehends Illegal Mining activities in Ogbomosho.
The recent arrest of seven suspects by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for illegal mining activities in Ogbomosho, Oyo State has again thrown a spotlight on the murky underworld of unregulated mineral extraction in Nigeria. The anti-graft agency’s operation led to the seizure of five truckloads of minerals including lepidolite, lithium and precious stones reportedly worth millions of naira.
While the EFCC deserves credit for its diligence in acting on intelligence to apprehend these rogue miners, the incident reveals deeper systemic failings in Nigeria’s mining sector governance that have allowed illegal operators to thrive with impunity for years. This crackdown must serve as a wake-up call for serious reforms.
The fact that these seven individuals could so brazenly engage in large-scale illegal mining without licenses or paying royalties points to serious lapses in monitoring and enforcement by regulatory bodies. How were they able to extract and transport vast quantities of minerals across state lines without detection until now?
Their audacious activities suggest they felt emboldened by a climate of lax oversight that has enabled criminals to plunder Nigeria’s mineral wealth unchecked. This robs the government and states of much-needed revenue streams from a sector that should be an economic development engine.
Furthermore, the alleged attempted bribery of EFCC officials by two other suspects to secure the release of one of the trucks is a chilling indication of how entrenched the corruption underpinning this illegal trade has become. That they so casually offered over a million naira to compromise law enforcement is indicative of a rot that has metastasized over time.
While the EFCC’s actions are commendable, this lone operation only scratches the surface of what is undoubtedly a vastly larger illegal mining ecosystem enriching unscrupulous players through exploitation of inadequate regulation. A sustainable solution demands an overhaul of the entire mining governance framework.
There must be stricter licensing requirements, comprehensive mineral tracing mechanisms, heavier penalties for royalty evasion, and robust coordination between federal and state monitoring agencies. The temptation for corruption must be extinguished through transparent audits and public disclosures around mining activities.
Communities must also be empowered and incentivized to support formal mining efforts as stakeholders rather than becoming complicit in illegal operations that ultimately degrade their environments.
Nigeria is blessed with vast mineral deposits that could potentially generate billions in revenue and economic opportunity. But this God-given resource has too often been pillaged by a stubborn ‘anything goes’ culture enabled by entrenched governance lapses.
The EFCC’s intervention in Ogbomosho is a good start, but far more comprehensive and systemic reforms are urgently needed to finally curb the scourge of illegal mining. The new administration must make this a top priority to unlock our mineral wealth legitimately and equitably for development.
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Reference
EFCC arrests seven illegal miners, two others for N1.2m bribe published in Punch.