The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole has alleged that retired military generals are responsible for illegal mining activities across Nigeria.
Senator Oshiomhole made this assertion during the presentation of the 2025 budget report by Senator Sampson Ekong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, before the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Oshiomhole emphasised that the nation’s economic diversification efforts would be futile if the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to tackle illegal mining.
He stated, “The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals, and we know them. Yes, we know them. Nobody in Africa doesn’t know them. I did a letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter when he was in office. This is because a team that I sent to go and conduct the primary somewhere reported back to me the challenge of conducting primary elections in Zamfara because of the illegal miners.”
Oshiomhole further advocated for decisive action, saying, “If we have to fight this menace, we need to deploy the Army even to kill anyone who is involved in illegal pumping of oil. We should also deploy JTFs, comprising the Army, Police, Air Force, against them.”
The panel members concurred with Oshiomhole’s concerns and called on security agencies to address the issue urgently.
The committee’s Chairman announced that members had unanimously agreed to significantly increase the budget allocation for the Ministry of Solid Minerals to combat the menace effectively.
