The Federal Government has commissioned the Mines Marshals, a paramilitary squad to curb the menace of illegal mining in the country.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, launched the Marshals at an event in Abuja on Thursday.
Alake said the squad was formed from a unit of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
The minister added that the unit would also curb the smuggling of solid minerals from the country to foreign nations.
Recall that the minister said on Tuesday that no mining license would be issued to prospective investors without requisite plans for value addition on minerals.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, Alake said the federal government had resolved to ensure compliance before permitting investors to operate.
He said that his Seven-Point Agenda for the ministry had placed the mining sector on global front burner since assuming office, which had generated renewed interest from the international community in Nigeria’s mineral resources.
He said the support of the executive and the legislature had enabled the ministry to showcase the solid minerals sector globally, resulting in his election as the Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
According to him, with the pact that led to the formation of the AMSG, there is now unity of purpose on the African continent regarding the issue of local value addition.
He said: “We are no longer going to allow anybody or license any company that wants to go into the mineral sector without giving us a plan for local value addition, like processing, refining and this has a multiplier effect on the economy.
“It instantly generates employment rather than a few people carting away lithium, gold, and the likes to other countries to sell.
“These minerals must now be processed in Nigeria, creating more value and beneficiation for local communities where they are sourced.”
