The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, Adams Oshiomhole, on Friday alleged that some retired military generals are responsible for illegal mining in the country.
He said this when the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Senator Sampson Ekong, presented his committee’s 2025 budget recommendation for the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to the Senate Committee on Appropriation in Abuja.
The former Edo State governor lamented that illegal mining has continued to undermine the Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the country’s economy.
He urged the government to address the illegal mining crisis decisively.
Oshiomhole revealed that he forwarded a letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue and detailed how illegal miners armed local groups with sophisticated equipment to exploit resources during his time as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said: “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.
“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.”