The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals have sealed seven suspected illegal mineral buying and processing centres in Kontagora, Niger State, following investigations into alleged violations of Nigeria’s mining laws and mineral trading regulations.

The operation, carried out on June 12, 2026, resulted in the sealing of 17 Mines & Minerals Limited, LALO Mining Limited, AL-YAMAN Global Concept Nigeria Limited, SIMASS Mining & Trading Company Limited, YMJ Minerals & Mines Nigeria Limited, Dating Company Industry Limited and another mineral buying facility operating in the area. Four suspects linked to some of the companies were also arrested.

According to a preliminary investigation, the enforcement action followed credible intelligence indicating that some of the companies were operating mineral-buying centres without the required approvals and were allegedly procuring strategic minerals from unverified sources, in breach of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, and the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Regulations, 2011.

The investigation found that representatives of some of the companies admitted purchasing Monazite from suppliers who presented only state or local government revenue receipts, without producing valid mining leases, Small-Scale Mining Leases (SSML), Licences to Purchase and Possess Minerals (LPPM), Mineral Buying Centre Licences or other statutory documents required by law.

Statements obtained from officials of AL-YAMAN Global Concept Nigeria Limited and 17 Mines & Minerals Limited indicated that the companies routinely purchased minerals without verifying the legal authority of their suppliers to mine, possess, or sell them, raising concerns about the integrity of the mineral supply chain.

Investigators also established that no documentary evidence was produced during the exercise to show that some of the affected companies possessed valid Licences to Purchase and Possess Minerals or Mineral Buying Centre Licences authorising them to procure minerals from third parties. The report, however, recommended further verification of permits and approvals claimed by some of the firms with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and other regulatory agencies.

The report concluded that there was prima facie evidence of regulatory non-compliance, with reasonable suspicion that minerals processed by some of the companies may have originated from illegal mining operations. It recommended comprehensive verification of licences, investigation of identified suppliers, legal review of the findings and prosecution where criminal conduct is established. It also proposed that all minerals recovered during the operation be forfeited to the Federal Government, in line with extant laws.

Preliminary valuation of the seized minerals, comprising Monazite, Iron Ore and Zircon found across the affected facilities, showed they were worth several millions of naira.

Confirming the operation, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, ACC John Attah Onoja, said the crackdown forms part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector, dismantle illegal mineral trading networks and ensure strict compliance with Nigeria’s mining laws. ‘Where there are no buyers of illegally mined minerals, illegal miners won’t exist,” he added. (The Nation)

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