Federal Government Opposes New Mining Security Force, Urges Strengthening Of Existing Task Force

Dele Alake, the minister of Solid Minerals Development, on Thursday rejected a proposed bill at the National Assembly to create a special security force for mining sites.

Alake, represented by an official from the mining ministry's inspectorate department Umar Bala, said on behalf of the federal government that creating this new security force would just repeat the work already being done to monitor illegal mining across the country.

The minister suggested that instead of creating a new security agency, lawmakers should pass a law to strengthen the Special Mines Surveillance Task Force, which was the main government agency responsible for keeping an eye on mining activities.

The "Bill to Establish Nigeria Mines Rangers Service" bill was first introduced by Senator Onawo Ogoshi, who represented Nasarawa South Senatorial District.

The Special Mines Surveillance Task Force was made up of multiple security agencies working together under the coordination of the National Security Advisor and the supervision of the Ministry of Solid Mineral Development.

According to the minister, this task force provided the most effective way to tackle illegal mining through a collaborative approach. He noted that without cooperation and shared intelligence among agencies, it would be difficult to fight illegal mining effectively.

He urged the Senate committee to support and adopt the Special Mines Surveillance Task Force, along with its standard procedures, as a better option than the proposed Nigerian Mines Ranger Service. The task force already includes all necessary security agencies working together to address illegal mining across the country.

Alake also suggested using tools like drones, specifically for the mining sector, to support the current surveillance methods, noting that these drones would provide real-time digital information, making monitoring more effective.

Several others at the public hearing also disagreed with the bill, including Assistant Director from the Ministry of Interior Geraldine Okafor and Commandant General of the NSCDC Ahmed Audi.

In June, Alake revealed that the federal government was all set to deploy technology to monitor mining sites across Nigeria. This use of technology will be an addition to supporting the 2,220 personnel of the Mining Marshal Corps, who were part of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, in fighting against illegal mining.