Oshiomhole Claims Military Generals, Top Officials Involved in Illegal Mining
Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North, has accused retired military generals and other high-ranking officials of being complicit in illegal mining operations across Nigeria.
He alleged that these operations, which cost the country billions of dollars in lost revenue annually, are conducted with sophisticated logistics, including helicopters, and often involve weapons procurement on par with military operations.
Speaking during a budget scrutiny session at the National Assembly on Friday, Oshiomhole described how gold and other precious resources are extracted and transported out of the country without government oversight or benefit to local communities.
According to him, the individuals behind these schemes leverage their influence and access to resources to protect their operations.
“Those involved in this illegal mining use choppers. They procure arms exactly the same way as our military did in the South-South. They give them arms, use choppers to cart away the gold, take it out of the country, and make billions of US dollars while the federal government is not doing what it should be doing,” Oshiomhole stated.
The lawmaker also said that retired generals and other influential figures not only oversee these operations but also use weapons to protect foreign nationals employed at illegal mining sites.
Oshiomhole stated that these same arms, initially meant to secure mining operations, are frequently diverted for criminal activities, including kidnappings and banditry, further exacerbating Nigeria’s insecurity crisis.
“The Chief of Defence Staff and some retired military officers are involved in this. The weapons are used to protect the foreigners they employ to carry out the mining. On occasion, they use the same weapons to carry out kidnapping and other terrible activities,” Oshiomhole added.
He called on the federal government to prioritise tackling illegal mining with the same intensity it applies to curbing oil theft, arguing that the scale of economic loss and its implications for national security are comparable.
“Who can afford to buy a chopper, land it at an illegal mining site, cart away gold, return to the city, and then take it out of the country? We shouldn’t, as senators, just be lamenting. We should tell the executive: you must deploy exactly the same force used against illegal activities elsewhere to deal with these criminals involved in illegal mining,” he said.
Illegal Mining and Nigeria’s Economy
Illegal mining in Nigeria has been a longstanding issue; the country has been losing significant revenue to these unregulated activities. In June 2024, a Senate Committee on Solid Minerals revealed that the nation loses approximately $9 billion annually to illegal mining operations.
The committee also stated that only 3% of royalties are paid by licensed miners operating legally, a statistic that underscores the scale of illicit activities.
The economic impact of illegal mining extends beyond lost revenue. Communities in mining areas often suffer environmental degradation, displacement and conflicts fueled by competition for resources.
To put this into perspective, about 91% of the potential revenue from resources is lost to illegal mining in Nigeria, according to Mohammed Tunis, the Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States Parliament.
Parallels with Oil Theft
Oshiomhole’s claims echo other findings about similar issues in the oil sector. ‘Fisayo Soyombo, the editor-in-chief of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, has previously accused senior military officials of complicity in illegal oil bunkering.
Soyombo’s findings, which came to light after his detention in November 2024, revealed the complicity of security officials in oil theft operations. He argued that illegal oil bunkering thrives due to collaborations between bunkerers and individuals within Nigeria’s security apparatus.
“Illegal oil bunkering cannot stop in this country; I can tell you that for free. Some senior army officials were saying President Bola Tinubu has said ‘no to bunkering’, but it will not end because illegal bunkerers have collaborators in security formations — not one, not two, not three,” Soyombo said.