Illegal Mining: Alake Hails Ansaru Leader’s Conviction

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has hailed the conviction of Ansaru commander, Mahmud Usman, as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against illegal mining.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, sentenced Usman to 15 years’ imprisonment and remanded him to face an additional 31 terrorism-related charges.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, the Minister commended the judiciary for bolstering the ministry’s efforts to dismantle the nexus between terrorism and illicit mining.

“It is gratifying to see the judiciary aligned with our stance of zero tolerance for illegal mining. This verdict validates what we’ve long maintained — that bandits are exploiting illegal mining to fund terror,” Alake said.

He emphasised that more robust measures are on the way, aimed at tightening the noose on criminal operations within the sector.

The Minister assured that the Ministry would closely monitor the remaining 31 terrorism charges involving other Ansaru commanders, noting that lessons drawn from these proceedings will help sharpen regulatory enforcement and strategic responses to illegal mining.

Dr Alake also lauded the Department of State Services (DSS) for what he called a “yeoman’s job” in tracking, identifying, and apprehending terror-linked individuals operating under the guise of miners.

“We will deepen inter-agency cooperation and step up surveillance, as part of a coordinated national effort to purge our communities of this menace,” he added.

Ansaru, which translates as the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, is currently facing multiple charges in connection with attacks on the Nigerian Army’s Wawa Cantonment and the 2022 raid on Kuje Prisons in Abuja, among other acts of terrorism.

It may be recalled that in 2024, Alake launched the Mining Marshals, a dedicated force tasked with combating illegal mining and reinforcing the security of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.

Since their deployment, the unit has arrested about 327 suspects and is prosecuting about 143 of them, including foreign nationals, at various courts in the country.

Information on the number of convictions for illegal mining was not available at the time of filing this report; however, the Ansaru commander’s sentencing represents the highest-profile conviction in the fight against unlawful mining so far.