8th October 2025
The House of Representatives, through its Ad-hoc Committee on illegal mining, has promised to recover the $9 billion lost annually to illicit mining activities across the country.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Committee on Wednesday, the Chairman, Sanni Abdulraheem, said illegal mining not only constitutes an economic drain pipe to the nation.
To arrest the scourge, the federal government launched the mining marshals in 2024. Their activities have culminated in the arrest of over 300 illegal miners in 10 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory.
Additionally, 98 illegal mining sites spread across the country have been shut down.It is estimated that Nigeria loses approximately $9 billion annually due to illegal mining activities. This theft of our resources that should be enriching our nation has gone on for far too long, and it is time to put an end to it,” Abdulraheem said.
According to him, the Committee is charged with blocking revenue leakages, enforcing transparency, and ensuring that the nation’s mineral wealth contributes fully to economic development.
“As we move forward, one of the core objectives of this Committee is to block the revenue leakages caused by illegal mining and its associated activities, which not only steal from our national treasury but also hinder the growth of legitimate mining operations that could contribute substantially to our national Internally Generated Revenue.
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