Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has declared that the conviction of Ansaru commander, Mahmud Usman, has finally exposed the nexus between terrorism and illegal mining in Nigeria.
Usman was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, recently, while still facing 31 other terrorism-related charges.
Reacting on the judgment, Alake said the case had “conclusively established” that bandit groups rely on proceeds from illegal mining to fund their violent activities across the country.
“It is gratifying for me that the judiciary is aligned with the ministry’s objective of zero tolerance for illegal mining. This verdict has shown beyond doubt that bandits engage in illegal mining to fund terrorism,” the Minister stated.
Alake stressed that the ruling was not just a legal victory but also a breakthrough in the government’s strategy to sanitize the mining sector.
“Further tightening of the noose around illegalities in mining continues as more drastic measures will be announced shortly,” he assured.
The minister commended the Directorate of State Services, DSS, for what he described as a “yeoman’s job” in tracking, arresting, and prosecuting terrorists involved in illegal resource exploitation.
He added that inter-agency collaboration would be intensified to enhance surveillance and security around mining sites nationwide.
“We shall increase inter-agency collaboration to raise the tempo of surveillance to rid our communities of illegal mining perpetrated by bandits,” Alake said.
Ansaru, translated as the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, has been linked to several high-profile attacks, including the raid on the Nigerian Army Wawa Cantonment and the 2022 Kuje Prisons attack in Abuja.
Alake noted that beyond prosecutions, the ministry and regulators must draw lessons from ongoing terrorism cases to strengthen institutional capacity against illegal mining.
The minister recalled that the Mining Marshals initiative, introduced in 2024, remains central to government efforts to secure the solid minerals sector and cut off funding pipelines for criminal groups.
