The Federal Government has announced plans to establish a special police force dedicated to combating illegal mining across Nigeria.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, revealed the plans during an interview on NTA’s Weekend File program while outlining strategies to increase mining’s contribution to the economy.
Alake said intelligence reports indicate some illegal miners are directly responsible for increased banditry in parts of the country.
As a result, he has worked with security agencies and the National Security Adviser on creating the new police force, which President Muhammadu Buhari supports.
“We are going to create a special police outfit. We’ll call it the Mining Police Force or the Mine Police,” Alake stated.
He added the force’s operations would also cover marine and blue economy sectors and be controlled by the Solid Minerals Ministry, with personnel answering to ministry officials.
Additionally, Alake said the ministry has given illegal artisanal miners a 60-day grace period to formalize operations, pay royalties and taxes.
On licensing, he said the ministry would overhaul the application process to make it simpler and faster, with licenses issued within 30 days of completed applications.
Alake emphasized the importance of efficient licensing to attract investors and improve the ease of doing business.
