Military Arrests Alleged Illegal Mining Kingpin in Abuja Raid

(Police. Photo by Guardian Nigeria News)

Troops of the 176 Guards Battalion have arrested a suspected illegal mining kingpin along with three other suspects during a raid on illegal mining sites in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

The operation was disclosed in a post shared online, on Wednesday night by security analyst Zagazola Makama, who said the raid took place at around 8:30 p.m. on July 13 in Dukpa Community, following intelligence gathered after an earlier arrest of illegal miners in the area on July 7.

According to Makama, troops moved in on identified mining sites and arrested a suspected sponsor believed to be behind the operation, along with three other suspects.

During preliminary questioning, the alleged sponsor reportedly admitted to funding the illegal mining activities and disclosed that he had recruited labourers from Katsina State to carry out the operations within the FCT.

Items recovered from the raid included a motorcycle, digging tools, filter carpets, pumping machine nozzles, dozens of wraps of suspected cannabis, hundreds of thousands of naira in cash, and other mining equipment.

Military sources cited in the post said the suspects and recovered items remain in military custody pending further investigation, after which they will be handed over to relevant authorities for prosecution.

The operation, the post noted, forms part of continuing efforts under Operation MESA to dismantle illegal mining networks, safeguard national resources, and tackle security challenges linked to illegal mining across the FCT.