The Federal Government has shut down an illegal gold mining site in Osun State as part of ongoing efforts to tackle illicit mining activities and bring those funding the operations to justice.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, announced the development on Monday through his official X account.
According to the minister, a joint task force working alongside security agencies raided an illegal gold mining site at Ileki Ijesa in Osun State, arrested two suspects, confiscated mining equipment, and sealed the location.
Alake disclosed that the suspects are assisting investigators with information that could help identify the financiers and sponsors behind the illegal mining operation.
He stressed that the government’s crackdown is not limited to workers found at illegal mining sites but is also targeting the individuals and groups providing financial support for the activities.
The minister revealed 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 damage farmlands, contaminate water sources, and contribute to insecurity in affected communities.
Alake also called on residents of mining communities to report illegal mining activities, assuring them that the Federal Government remains committed to sanitising the mining sector through sustained enforcement.
In recent years, the government has stepped up measures to formalise Nigeria’s solid minerals industry by promoting licensed mining, encouraging local mineral processing, and discouraging the illegal extraction and export of mineral resources.
Authorities have also recorded several enforcement successes, including convictions of foreign nationals involved in illegal mining and multiple arrests in different parts of the country.
The government believes that strengthening regulation and expanding domestic mineral processing will increase revenue, create jobs, and position Nigeria to benefit from the growing global demand for critical minerals such as lithium, gold, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements.
