The Federal Government yesterday launched a special force tagged Mines Marshals, to secure mineral sites and combat illegal mining in the country. The formal unveiling of the marshals on Thursday, 21 March brings to fruition the pledge of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, on his assumption of office to create a new security architecture to secure mining sites.
At the event, the minister reiterated that solid minerals were the next top mineral earner for Nigeria and that insecurity was threatening to derail its contributions to revamping the nation’s economy, adding that creating a safe environment around the mineral sites was key to achieving the objectives of government for the sector. Alake, who officially received the marshals, drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), from the Commandant-General, Abubakar Audi, who represented the minister of interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, urged the 2,220-strong Mines Marshal, tagged “Operation Hayakin Kogo,” to smoke out illegal miners and all those who flout the nation’s mining laws from their hideouts.
