The Federal Government has accused the embattled mining company, Jupiter Ltd, of planning what it described as a “campaign of calumny” against Nigeria during President Bola Tinubu’s upcoming state visit to the United Kingdom.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development stated that the alleged effort aims to discredit ongoing reforms in the mining sector and mislead the international community regarding the revocation of certain mineral licences.
In a statement on Sunday, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, dismissed claims that Nigeria seized a British lithium project under armed guard, calling the allegations false and misleading.
Tomori emphasized that the Federal Government has no legal or contractual ties with any company known as Jupiter Lithium, noting that Nigerian mining laws prohibit foreign firms from directly holding mineral titles.
The statement read, “It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development that an embattled mining firm, Jupiter Ltd, plans to orchestrate a campaign of calumny against the Federal Government of Nigeria during the state visit of President Bola Tinubu to the United Kingdom.
“Earlier in the week, the Special Adviser to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, authored a response to what we described as a tissue of falsehoods sponsored by Jupiter Ltd in a publication titled ‘Nigeria Seizes British Lithium Project Under Armed Guard.’
“Our response, titled ‘In Nigeria’s Mining Sector, The Law Is No Respecter of Persons,’ exposed the activities of one Steve Davis and Hamish MacDonald, whose enterprise in the mining sector eventually met the full weight of the law.”
The controversy reportedly arose from the revocation of mineral titles held by Basin Mining Ltd, a Nigerian company linked to Australian national Steve Davis. The government stated that the revocation followed the company’s failure to meet statutory financial obligations under Nigeria’s mining regulations, including unpaid annual service fees amounting to N2.494bn for 2024 and 2025. The mineral titles affected were 45454ML, 45117ML, 45118ML, 40532ML, and 40533ML.
The ministry also refuted claims that the revoked titles were reassigned to a Chinese firm, describing such reports as fabricated attempts to mislead the public and the international community.
It further alleged that Davis has interests in multiple Nigerian mining companies, including Comet Minerals Ltd, Basin Mining Ltd, Range Mining Ltd, Northern Numero Ltd, Sunrise Minerals Ltd, and Iron Ore Mining Ltd—often used by speculators to acquire mineral titles without carrying out actual mining operations.
The ministry highlighted that these practices have contributed to dormant mining licences and illegal mining activities and stressed that the Federal Government is determined to end them as part of ongoing sector reforms.
Tomori added, “The Federal Government of Nigeria cannot and will not be intimidated or blackmailed into abandoning reforms by the antics of any individual or company. Our commitment to transforming the mining sector into a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product is unwavering.”
The ministry urged Nigerians and international stakeholders to disregard attempts by “discredited individuals” to undermine Nigeria’s reform agenda.
Nigeria has been actively developing its solid mineral resources—including lithium, gold, iron ore, and rare earth elements—as part of a strategy to diversify the economy beyond crude oil.
Report stated that Tinubu is scheduled for a state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following an invitation from King Charles III, who will host him at Windsor Castle. The visit is expected to focus on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, covering trade, investment, security, and migration.