The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has hailed the conviction of Mahmud Usman, a commander of the Ansaru terrorist group, as a significant milestone in the fight against illegal mining in Nigeria.
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Dele Alake made this known in a statement released on Sunday in Abuja by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori.
It will be recalled that the Federal High Court in Abuja, on September 11, sentenced Usman to 15 years in prison for engaging in illegal mining activities.
Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the sentence after Usman, aka Abu Bara’a/Abbas Mukhtar, pleaded guilty to count 10 of the 32-count terrorism charge preferred against him.
Also implicated in the suit was his deputy commander, Abubakar Abba, aka Isah Adam/Mahmud Al-Nigeri.
In count 10, Usman and Abba were alleged to have committed the illegal mining offence between 2015 and 2025. They were accused of mining precious minerals such as thunder stones and California stones without lawful authority.
While commending the judiciary’s support in combating illegal mining, Alake described the verdict as evidence that bandits engage in illegal mining to fund their operations.
“It is gratifying that the judiciary is aligned with the ministry’s objective of zero tolerance for illegal mining.
“Further tightening of the noose around illegalities in mining continues as more drastic measures will be announced shortly,” he said.
He added that the ministry would monitor the 31 pending terrorism cases against Ansaru commanders to draw lessons for strengthening the fight against illegal mining.
The minister also commended the Directorate of State Services for diligently monitoring, detecting, and arresting terrorists to face the full wrath of the law.
“We shall increase inter-agency collaboration to raise the tempo of surveillance to rid our communities of illegal mining perpetrated by bandits,” Dele Alake said.
It will also be recalled that Alake and Senator Adams Oshiomhole had earlier stated that powerful illegal miners were sponsoring banditry.
In 2024, Dele Alake established the Mining Marshals, a security unit drawn from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, to secure mining sites across the country following a surge in illegal mining activities.
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