The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced plans to intensify its fight against illegal mining by targeting financiers, mineral buyers, compromised public officials and other individuals involved in criminal networks exploiting Nigeria’s mineral resources.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said illegal mining was driven by organized networks involving both local and international actors. He warned that arresting miners found at excavation sites would not be enough to stop the activities. Olukoyede made this known on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at a public lecture and capacity-building workshop organized by the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in Ilorin, Kwara State.
He explained that illegal mining operations involved several actors, including those providing funds, arranging transportation and documentation, purchasing illegally extracted minerals and offering protection to the operators. According to him, tackling the menace requires dismantling the entire network, rather than focusing only on individuals carrying out mining activities at the sites.
The EFCC chairman said the commission’s enforcement strategy would therefore concentrate on tracing proceeds from illegal mining and identifying those financing and benefiting from the operations. He disclosed that the commission recorded 52 illegal mining cases between October 2023 and July 2026, resulting in the forfeiture of 102 tonnes of solid minerals.
Olukoyede clarified that the EFCC was not responsible for regulating the mining sector or issuing mining licences. He explained that the commission’s involvement was limited to investigating suspected corruption, fraud, money laundering, illicit financial flows and proceeds of criminal activities. He noted that financial investigations were essential because illegally extracted minerals eventually generated money that moved through bank accounts, businesses, financial transactions and asset acquisitions.
The EFCC chairman also linked illegal mining to the country’s security challenges, warning that uncontrolled mineral extraction and trading could create opportunities for extortion, smuggling, violence and territorial disputes. He cautioned that when criminal groups gained control of economic activities within communities, the consequences could extend beyond the loss of government revenue.
Olukoyede further warned that public officials who abused their positions to facilitate illegal mining, manipulate licences or launder proceeds from mineral theft would face investigation. He called for stronger collaboration among mining regulators, financial intelligence institutions, law enforcement agencies, customs authorities and revenue agencies to improve intelligence sharing and coordinate investigations.
He also urged traditional institutions, community associations, youth groups, civil society organizations and local leaders to establish channels through which suspicious mining activities could be reported. The EFCC chairman reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to investigating financiers and facilitators, tracing illicit proceeds, recovering criminal assets and prosecuting suspects based on available evidence. He stressed that Nigeria’s mineral resources should benefit citizens rather than criminal networks.
The EFCC plans to target not only illegal miners but also the financiers, buyers and public officials supporting their operations. The commission says it has recorded 52 cases and secured the forfeiture of 102 tonnes of solid minerals.
Leave a comment