FG Seals Illegal Gold Mine in Osun, Launches Manhunt for Financiers

The Federal Government has sealed an illegal gold mining site in Ileki Ijesa, Osun State, as it intensifies efforts to dismantle criminal networks financing illicit mining operations across the country.

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed the development on Monday, saying a joint task force, working with security agencies, shut down the illegal mining site, arrested two suspects, confiscated mining equipment and sealed the location.

According to the minister, the arrested suspects are cooperating with investigators to identify the financiers and sponsors behind the illegal operation.

Alake stressed that the government’s crackdown is aimed not only at apprehending illegal miners on the ground but also at bringing to justice those who fund and profit from the activities.

“Our focus isn’t just on the casual workers on the ground. We are actively going after the sponsors and quiet backers of these illicit activities,” he said.

The minister disclosed that the Mining Marshals have so far arrested more than 300 illegal miners and prosecuted over 150 suspects, including foreign nationals, as part of the ongoing enforcement campaign.

He warned that illegal mining continues to devastate farmlands, pollute water sources and fuel insecurity in mining communities, urging residents to report unlawful mining activities to the authorities.

The latest operation forms part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to sanitise the solid minerals sector, boost government revenue and formalise mining activities.

The renewed enforcement comes amid efforts to expand domestic mineral processing and attract investment into Nigeria’s mining industry.

In recent months, the government has commissioned major lithium processing facilities in Nasarawa and Zamfara states and announced the discovery of a new polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State, containing gold, lithium, nickel, copper, platinum group metals and rare earth elements.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s mining and quarrying sector generated ₦686.96 billion in Value Added Tax (VAT) and ₦723.33 billion in Company Income Tax (CIT) in 2025, highlighting the sector’s growing contribution to government revenue.

The Federal Government says it will sustain its twin approach of cracking down on illegal mining while promoting licensed mining and local mineral processing to maximise the country’s vast mineral resources and position Nigeria as a major player in the global critical minerals market.