The Federal Government closed down an unauthorized mining site in Guabe, located in the Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a measure to tackle illegal mining.
The action was conducted by personnel from the Mining Marshal Corp, which was established on March 21 by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, with the aim of ensuring the security of mining areas and improving the sector’s standards.
The News Agency of Nigeria mentioned that the corps has 2,220 personnel who received specialized training as a rapid response team and have been stationed across the 36 states and the FCT.
It was stated in a release on Thursday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Segun Tomori, in Abuja that three suspects were apprehended during the mission.
According to the statement, the operation led by the corps Commander, John Attah, achieved success through thorough intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Initial investigations showed that the suspects did not possess any documentation permitting their mining operations at the site.
Additionally, a lawful mining company that had the required permits for the area, faced challenges accessing the site because of the illegal miners’ actions and opposition.
The Commander emphasized that such activities would not be accepted as they were disrupting the activities of legal miners and investors carrying out their rightful operations.
According to the statement, the suspects acknowledged their wrongdoing and confessed to operating on the site for over a year.
Upon their arrest, approximately 2,000 tonnes of lithium were discovered on the premises, highlighting the scale of the illicit operation.
