The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has hailed the sentencing of an Ansaru commander, Mahmud Usman, to 15 years imprisonment as a landmark victory in Nigeria’s fight against illegal mining.

On Thursday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, convicted Usman and remanded him in custody to face 31 other terrorism-related charges.

Judiciary Aligned with Mining Sector Reforms

Commending the judiciary for backing the federal government’s crackdown on illegal mining, Alake said the verdict confirms that bandits have been using illegal mining to fund their operations.

“It is gratifying for me that the judiciary is aligned with the ministry’s objective of zero tolerance for illegal mining. Further tightening of the noose around illegalities in mining continues as more drastic measures will be announced shortly,” he stated.

Alake added that the ministry would closely monitor the 31 ongoing cases involving Ansaru commanders, stressing that regulators must draw lessons from these proceedings to strengthen the sector’s defenses against criminal exploitation.

DSS Praised for Tracking Terrorists

The minister also praised the Department of State Services (DSS) for its role in tracking, monitoring, and arresting terrorists behind illegal mining operations.

“We shall increase inter-agency collaboration to raise the tempo of surveillance to rid our communities of illegal mining perpetrated by bandits,” Alake said.

Ansaru’s Terrorist Footprint

Ansaru, short for Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, is facing multiple terrorism charges, including the attack on the Nigerian Army Wawa Cantonment and the 2022 raid on Kuje Prisons in Abuja.

Mining Marshals to the Rescue

Alake recalled that the federal government had set up the Mining Marshals in 2024 to combat illegal mining and secure the sector from infiltration by criminals and terrorists.

He pledged that the ministry would continue to intensify surveillance and enforcement efforts to ensure mining contributes safely and sustainably to national development.