The Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have shut down seven suspected illegal mineral buying and processing centres in Kontagora, Niger State, over alleged violations of mining regulations.
The Commander of the Mining Marshals, ACC John Onoja, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, saying the operation formed part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and curb illegal mining activities.
Four suspects linked to some of the affected companies were also arrested during the enforcement exercise carried out on June 12, 2026.
The affected firms include 17 Mines & Minerals Limited, LALO Mining Limited, AL-YAMAN Global Concept Nigeria Limited, SIMASS Mining & Trading Company Limited, YMJ Minerals & Mines Nigeria Limited, Dating Company Industry Limited, and another mineral buying facility operating in the area.
According to the statement, the operation followed credible intelligence that some of the companies were running mineral buying centres without the required approvals and procuring strategic minerals from unverified sources in breach of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, and the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Regulations, 2011.
Investigators reportedly found that some company representatives admitted purchasing monazite from suppliers who only presented state and local government revenue receipts without valid mining leases, Small-Scale Mining Leases, Licences to Purchase and Possess Minerals, Mineral Buying Centre Licences, or other mandatory documents.
Officials of AL-YAMAN Global Concept Nigeria Limited and 17 Mines & Minerals Limited were also said to have acknowledged buying minerals without verifying whether suppliers had the legal authority to mine, possess or sell them.
The statement added that investigators could not establish that some of the companies possessed valid licences authorising them to purchase minerals from third parties, although further verification with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and other regulators was recommended.
Preliminary findings, according to the Mining Marshals, revealed prima facie evidence of regulatory violations and raised suspicions that some of the minerals being processed originated from illegal mining operations.
The agency recommended comprehensive checks on all permits, investigations into identified suppliers, legal review of the findings, prosecution where necessary, and forfeiture of all recovered minerals to the Federal Government in line with existing laws.
Minerals seized during the operation, including monazite, iron ore and zircon, are estimated to be worth several millions of naira.
Onoja reaffirmed the commitment of the Mining Marshals to tackling illegal mining, stressing that disrupting the market for illegally sourced minerals remains key to ending the practice.
“The crackdown forms part of our ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector, dismantle illegal mineral trading networks and ensure strict compliance with Nigeria’s mining laws,” he said.
“Where there are no buyers of illegally mined minerals, illegal miners won’t exist.”