Rita Odafe
Last Friday, a confrontation occurred involving mining Marshals and security forces during an attempted arrest of Chinese nationals suspected of illegal lithium mining in Libata, located in Kebbi State’s Ngaski Local Government Area.
The Marshals reported that military and police personnel, present at the scene, obstructed their efforts to detain the individuals involved.
Commander Attah Onoja led the Marshals in a planned operation to apprehend the unauthorized miners and seize their equipment.
As the team prepared to take the suspects to Abuja, they were instructed by the security officials to stop their actions. To de-escalate the situation, Onoja decided to withdraw his team, promising to pursue legal measures to uphold proper mining regulations in the area.
This incident follows the recent establishment of the Mining Marshals initiative by the Federal Government, in partnership with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to combat rising illegal mining practices across Nigeria.
Engr. Adamu Tah, CEO of El-TahDam Exploration, whose company holds a legitimate lease for the mining location, claimed that the Chinese miners, supported by local security forces, were conducting unauthorized activities that hindered his plans for a $50 million processing plant in the region.
Tah expressed that these illegal operations not only deplete natural resources but also obstruct the creation of over 3,000 jobs for local residents. He urged for prompt action to dislodge the alleged illegal miners to facilitate lawful mining activities.
“The Chinese are undermining our efforts by extracting immense quantities of raw materials illegally and attempting to sabotage our processing plant,” Tah noted, emphasizing the backing they receive from certain state figures as evidenced by the unanswered complaint he submitted.
He further suggested that local supporters and influential figures were facilitating these illicit activities.
