The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has accused retired military generals of being involved in illegal mining activities across the country.
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, to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Oshiomhole emphasised that efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy would remain futile unless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration tackled the issue of illegal mining head-on.
The former governor of Edo State alleged that the involvement of retired generals in illegal mining was a known fact, recalling that he had written to former President Muhammadu Buhari about the matter during his tenure.
He also highlighted challenges faced during primary elections in Zamfara, attributing them to the activities of illegal miners. “A team I sent to conduct the primary elections in Zamfara reported back about the difficulties they faced due to the illegal mining operations in the area,” he revealed.
Oshiomhole further suggested deploying the military, including the Army and Joint Task Forces (JTFs), comprising the Army, Police, and Air Force, to decisively combat illegal mining and oil theft. “If we are to address this menace, the military should be deployed, even to the extent of eliminating those involved in illegal activities such as oil theft,” he stated.
The Senate panel concurred with Oshiomhole’s concerns and urged security agencies to take up the challenge. The committee also agreed to significantly increase the budget allocation for the Ministry of Solid Minerals to bolster efforts in addressing the problem.
