Minister, NSCDC, others oppose bill to establish special security outfit for mining sites

The federal government has opposed a bill seeking to establish a special security outfit for mining sites.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, opposed the establishment at a public hearing on the bill held at the National Assembly on Thursday.

The bill titled “Bill to establish Nigeria Mines Rangers Service (NMRS),” was initially sponsored by Onawo Ogoshi, the senator representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District.

Mr Alake, represented by Umar Bala, an official from the mining ministry’s inspectorate department, argued that establishing the outfit would duplicate the agency’s work monitoring illegal mining operations across the country.

He said that rather than establishing a new security agency, Nigerian lawmakers should pass legislation to strengthen the operation of the Special Mines Surveillance Task Force, which is the government’s primary security agency monitoring mining operations.

“The special mine surveillance task force comprises more security agencies who operate under the coordination of the National Security Advisor under the supervision of the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development.

“It offers the best option as an integrated approach to combating illegal mining activities. If government does not collaborate and share intelligence as an integrated approach, effectively combating illegal mining could be elusive.

“I therefore call on the Senate committee to consider and adopt the Special Mines Surveillance Task Force and its standard operation procedure as a better alternative to the Nigerian Mines Ranger Service because the mine surveillance task force comprises all the security agencies and they work together to tackle the issue of illegal mining activities across the nation,” the minister said.

Mr Alake also recommended deploying technology to monitor mining activities as a method of curbing illegal mining.

“The deployment of technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles or drones specifically targeted to the mining sector can complement the current kinetic approach of surveillance by providing real-time information in digital format,” he added.

Other opposition

Apart from the minister, many other attendees at the public hearing also opposed the bill.

An Assistant Director at the Ministry of Interior, Geraldine Okafor, argued that creating a new agency would duplicate functions of the existing mining security agency.

She said rather than creating another agency, the government should better equip the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to carry out the task.

“The Ministry is of the view that if the existing agencies, especially the civil defence, are well equipped and trained along with other mines task force, they can do a lot of this work rather than duplicating this assignment,: she said.

On his part, the Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, said there is a unit under his agency that has the capacity to provide security for mining sites.

“We are strongly opposed to the provision of this bill as presently constituted. We vehemently hold that the proposed establishment of the Nigerian Mines Rangers and their function is an infringement on the core mandate of NSCDC.

“The bill is not just a duplication of the NSCDC Act and its mandate, it is also an attempt to usurp the mandates that are still given to the corps, and in a disguised way, handing it over to the police through the back,” he added.

The NSCDC commandant claimed that the corps has destroyed over 100 illegal mining sites, arrested more than 50 suspects, including foreign nationals, and currently has over 30 cases in court.

Defending the bill, Mr Ogoshi argued that the existing security agencies monitoring mining operations have not been effective in curbing illegal mining activities in the country.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Ekong Sampson, said all submissions of those who spoke at the public hearing would be considered.

Illegal Mining in Nigeria

Mining contributes to less than five per cent of Nigeria’s foreign earnings despite the prevalence of major minerals like gold, lithium and tin across the country. This is due to several factors such as inadequate government attention and weak regulation.

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Amidst the situation, illegal mining of many of the minerals thrives in several parts of the country. Recent investigations by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the illegal mining of lithium thrives in communities in Oyo and Kwara states. Factors that aid such illegal acts include communal connivance, complicit security officials, poverty, and unemployment.