Nigeria Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Mining as UNODC Trains NSCDC Mining Marshals

Nigeria Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Mining as UNODC Trains NSCDC Mining Marshals

Nigeria has taken a significant step in strengthening its fight against illegal mining with the commencement of a specialized capacity-building program for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals, facilitated by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The training, which kicked off this week, is part of a broader collaboration aimed at safeguarding the nation’s mineral assets, curbing illicit extraction, and disrupting the criminal networks that profit from illegal mining activities across the country.

In recent years, illegal mining has been linked to revenue loss, environmental degradation, community conflicts, and in some cases, the financing of organized crime. The Federal Government’s creation of the NSCDC Mining Marshal Unit was a strategic intervention to restore order in the solid minerals sector — and the new UNODC-backed training is expected to enhance the marshals’ operational effectiveness.
Speaking at the opening session, officials emphasized that the program will equip Mining Marshals with modern investigative techniques, operational safety skills, intelligence gathering methods, and strategies for inter-agency collaboration. The training also covers legal frameworks guiding mineral exploitation, enabling officers to enforce regulations more efficiently and transparently.

UNODC representatives noted that the initiative aligns with global efforts to combat transnational organized crime, stressing that illegal mining has become a growing concern in many resource-rich nations. Strengthening Nigeria’s response, they said, will help protect communities, preserve natural resources, and ensure that mineral revenues support national development.

The NSCDC, on its part, reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and other security agencies to dismantle illegal mining sites, arrest offenders, and secure legitimate mining operations across states.

With this new capacity-building program, Nigeria signals a renewed determination to sanitize the sector, boost investor confidence, and ensure that its vast mineral wealth is harnessed responsibly for the benefit of all citizens.

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