The Senate has alleged that some retired military generals might be responsible for illegal mining activities across Nigeria, which continue to undermine the country’s efforts to diversify its economy.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, made this allegation during the budget presentation by Senator Sampson Ekong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, to the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

Oshiomhole expressed frustration over the Federal Government’s inaction, urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address the illegal mining crisis decisively.

He compared the situation to the government’s robust measures against illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta and called for similar enforcement in the mining sector.

According to him, “the ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals, and we know them. They use helicopters to cart away gold, making billions of dollars, while the country suffers”.

He further revealed that during his tenure as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he had written to former President Muhammadu Buhari about the situation, detailing how illegal miners arm local groups and use sophisticated equipment to exploit resources.

He added, “This issue has been left unchecked for too long. We have the data and surveys showing where these activities are happening. It’s time for the government to deploy Joint Task Forces, just as it has done in tackling oil theft.”

Meanwhile, Senator Ekong presented his committee’s recommendation for the 2025 budget of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. The committee proposed an increase from the N9 billion capital vote initially allocated by the executive to N539 billion, emphasizing the sector’s potential.