…Drains billions, deepens insecurity
The discovery of a vast polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State should have been another reminder of Nigeria’s enormous untapped mineral wealth.
Beneath the state’s soil lie deposits of platinum group metals, gold, nickel, copper, lithium and rare earth elements, resources capable of attracting billions of dollars in investment and reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil.
Yet, beyond the excitement over new discoveries lies a stubborn reality that has continued to undermine every reform effort: illegal mining.
Across large swathes of Nigeria, particularly in the North-West, criminal mining operations continue almost unchecked despite repeated government crackdowns, new security formations and multiple arrests. Rather than declining, the illicit trade has evolved into an entrenched underground economy that enriches criminal networks, fuels insecurity and deprives government of billions of dollars in revenue every year.
For many observers, the persistence of illegal mining raises uncomfortable questions about
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