Illegal mining fuels insecurity, money laundering — Reps panel
By Dirisu Yakubu
The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploitation, Security and Anti-Money Laundering has warned that illegal mining is fuelling insecurity, money laundering and revenue losses across Nigeria.
Chairman of the committee, Sanni Abdulraheem, raised the alarm on Monday at a high-level stakeholders’ workshop on extractive industry governance in Abuja.
He said criminal networks were exploiting the country’s mineral resources through illegal mining, weak regulatory enforcement and illicit financial flows, depriving Nigeria of the economic benefits of its vast mineral wealth.
“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,” he said.
He added that the gap was driven by illegal mining, weak enforcement and the laundering of proceeds that should accrue to the Nigerian people.
According to him, the committee was established to investigate the scale of illegal mineral exploitation, trace financial networks linked to the laundering of proceeds from illegal mining, assess security arrangements in mining communities and review existing legal and regulatory frameworks.
Abdulraheem disclosed that the panel had begun engagements with relevant institutions and had issued summons where necessary to aid its investigation.
He said no single institution could tackle the challenge alone, calling for stronger collaboration among the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, security agencies, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, state governments, traditional institutions, licensed mining operators and civil society organisations.
“In the course of our work, we have held sittings, engaged relevant agencies, and, where cooperation fell short of what the moment demands, we have not hesitated to issue summons. We do this not out of confrontation, but out of conviction because oversight without candour achieves nothing, and reform without accurate information is guesswork dressed as policy,” he added.
The lawmaker also urged anti-graft agencies to intensify efforts to trace illicit financial flows linked to illegal mining, saying following the money trail would be critical to dismantling criminal networks.
He assured licensed mining operators that the investigation was aimed at protecting legitimate businesses rather than frustrating lawful operations.
The workshop was declared open by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who was represented by the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere.