The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has urged youths in Kogi State to persuade their elders, community leaders and local authorities to withdraw support for illegal miners operating in the state.
Alake made the call while addressing members of the Concerned Kogi Youths Against Environmental Degradation, who staged a protest at the Ministry in Abuja.
The Minister said investigations had shown that some illegal miners were operating with the support and protection of community leaders and other local stakeholders.
He warned that the Federal Government was increasing efforts to tackle illegal mining through the deployment of technology and the strengthening of the Mining Marshals.
Alake noted that Kogi State remained a major area of concern, recalling that the first operation of the Mining Marshals led to the removal of illegal miners from a mining site in Yagba East Local Government Area.
According to him, between March 2024 and August 2026, the Mining Marshals identified 374 illegal mining sites across the country, with 108 of the sites cleared.
He said 743 suspects had been arrested, while 165 cases involving 430 accused persons were being prosecuted. Five convictions have also been secured.
The Minister said illegal mining was depriving legitimate mining companies and the Nigerian government of revenue, as illegal operators do not obtain licences or pay royalties.
He urged the Kogi youths to take the Ministry’s message back to their communities and encourage stakeholders to support efforts to stop illegal mining and environmental degradation.
Alake, who was represented by senior officials of the Ministry, said there would soon be no hiding place for illegal miners and their collaborators.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Concerned Kogi Youths Against Environmental Degradation, Comrade Isaiah Davies Ijele, said the protest was to draw attention to alleged environmental damage linked to mining activities in Ankpa and Omala Local Government Areas of Kogi State.
He alleged that some mining operations had damaged roads and farmlands, polluted water sources and worsened living conditions in affected communities.
Ijele called for investigations into mining activities in the affected areas and urged the Ministry to take action against operators found to have violated environmental and mining regulations.
Responding, the Director of Mining Environmental Compliance, Dr Vivian Okono, said the Ministry was compiling a list of mining companies that had failed to meet their obligations under Community Development Agreements.
She said the names of defaulting companies would soon be published alongside other sanctions.
