Reps seek stronger reforms to tackle illegal mining, money laundering in extractive sector

By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

ABUJA — The House of Representatives has intensified efforts to tackle illegal mining, insecurity and illicit financial flows in Nigeria’s extractive sector, warning that unchecked exploitation of mineral resources is depriving the country of huge revenues and threatening national security.

Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploitation, Security and Anti-Money Laundering, Rep. Sanni Egidi Abdulraheem, gave the warning on Monday at a High-Level Stakeholders Workshop on Extractive Industry Governance in Abuja.

He said Nigeria’s rich deposits of gold, lithium, tin, coal, tantalite and other minerals had not translated into sustainable economic development due to illegal mining, weak enforcement and money laundering.

Abdulraheem said the committee was constituted to investigate the scale of illegal mineral exploitation, trace illicit financial flows linked to the sector, assess security challenges in mining communities and recommend legislative and administrative reforms.

“Nigeria is blessed. Few nations on earth carry the range and richness of mineral deposits that lie across our states — gold, lithium, tin, coal, tantalite and many more. On paper, these resources should be transforming livelihoods, funding schools and hospitals, and strengthening our national economy.

“Yet, for too long, a troubling gap has persisted between the wealth in our ground and the prosperity in our communities. That gap has a name: illegal mining, weak enforcement, and the laundering of proceeds that should belong to the Nigerian people,” he said.

The lawmaker disclosed that the committee had commenced engagements with relevant agencies and would compel cooperation where necessary.

He said the committee had held meetings with stakeholders and issued summons where cooperation was inadequate, stressing that effective oversight required accurate information.

Abdulraheem said illegal mining was a complex challenge that required collaboration among regulators, security agencies, financial intelligence institutions, state governments, traditional rulers, licensed operators and civil society groups.

“No single agency, no single arm of government, and certainly no single committee of this House can resolve this crisis alone,” he said.

He called on the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office to provide licensing records and regulatory information needed to strengthen reforms.

The lawmaker also urged the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mining Marshals, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to improve collaboration in tackling illegal mining and tracing illicit transactions.

Addressing licensed mining operators, Abdulraheem assured them that the committee’s work was not targeted at legitimate businesses.

“You are not the target of this exercise. Rather, you are our partners in demonstrating that mineral exploitation, done lawfully and transparently, can be a genuine engine of national development,” he said.

He described the workshop as a key part of the committee’s public hearing process, adding that stakeholders’ submissions would contribute to the final report to the House.

Declaring the workshop open, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, described the committee’s assignment as one of the most important undertaken by the legislature.

Abbas said illegal exploitation of mineral resources by criminal elements had denied Nigeria significant revenue and weakened national development efforts.

“Nigeria cannot achieve economic diversification, fiscal stability or job creation if the sector that should be a second revenue pillar is bleeding from illegality and opacity,” he said.

The Speaker urged stakeholders to provide credible information and practical recommendations to guide the House in developing effective legislation.

“This is not an inquisition. It is a partnership. Withhold nothing. Speak plainly. Proffer solutions. The success of this intervention depends on the quality of information we receive and the sincerity of purpose we all bring to this room,” he said.

Representing the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Hajiya Fatima Usman Katsina, commended the committee for initiating the engagement, saying stronger collaboration between federal and state authorities would help improve governance in the solid minerals sector.

She said the forum remained committed to supporting reforms aimed at unlocking the economic potential of the sector.

Also speaking, Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, called for the establishment of a special court to speed up the prosecution of illegal mining offenders.

Represented by Commander of the Mining Marshals, ACC Attah John Onoja, Audi said the corps had arrested more than 671 suspects involved in illegal mining since 2024, with 397 already facing prosecution.

He added that enforcement operations had led to the closure of several illegal mining sites, improved compliance with regulations and contributed to increased mining revenue.

Audi called for increased funding for drones, CCTV surveillance, a national mining situation room, logistics and manpower to strengthen the fight against illegal mining.

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