The Federal Government has shut down an illegal gold mining site in Osun State and intensified efforts to track down and prosecute the financiers behind illicit mining operations across the country.
Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, announced the development on his official X account, saying a joint task force, working with security agencies, raided the illegal mining site at Ileki Ijesa in Osun State.
The operation led to the arrest of two suspects, the seizure of mining equipment and the closure of the site.
Alake said investigators are using information provided by the arrested suspects to identify the financiers and sponsors of the illegal operation.
He stressed that the government’s crackdown is focused not only on workers found at illegal mining sites but also on those funding and profiting from the activities.
“Our joint task force, working with security agencies, shut down an illegal gold mining operation at Ileki Ijesa in Osun State. We arrested two suspects on site, seized their equipment and sealed the area,” he said.
“The suspects are cooperating with investigators to help us track down the financiers backing these operations. Our focus is not just on the workers on the ground; we are actively pursuing the sponsors and hidden backers of these illegal activities.”
The minister disclosed that the Mining Marshals have so far arrested more than 300 illegal miners and prosecuted over 150 suspects, including foreign nationals.
He warned that illegal mining continues to destroy farmland, pollute water sources and contribute to insecurity, urging residents of mining communities to report illegal mining activities to the authorities.
The latest operation is part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to formalise Nigeria’s mining sector and curb illegal extraction of mineral resources.
In May 2025, the Federal High Court in Jos ordered the deportation of four Chinese nationals convicted of illegal mining in Plateau State. The court also ordered the forfeiture of N134 million recovered from the convicts to the Federal Government and barred them from returning to Nigeria.
Two months later, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested seven Chinese nationals and four Nigerians over alleged illegal mining activities in Akwa Ibom State.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s mining and quarrying sector generated N686.96 billion in Value Added Tax (VAT) and N723.33 billion in Company Income Tax (CIT) in 2025, underscoring the sector’s growing contribution to government revenue and the benefits of formalising mining activities.
The crackdown comes as the Federal Government accelerates efforts to develop Nigeria’s solid minerals industry through increased local processing and value addition.
Recent initiatives include the commissioning of a $200 million lithium mining and processing plant in Zamfara State and a 6,000-metric-tonne-per-day lithium processing facility in Nasarawa State.
The government has also announced the discovery of a new polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State containing gold, lithium, platinum group metals, nickel, copper and rare earth elements.
With global demand for lithium expected to surge over the coming years, the government says strengthening enforcement against illegal mining while expanding licensed mining operations and domestic mineral processing will help increase revenue, attract investment and position Nigeria as a major player in the global critical minerals market.
