Abuja, Nigeria – February 5, 2025 – Senator Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, has reaffirmed his claim that some retired military generals, in collusion with foreign entities, are involved in the illegal mining of Nigeria’s solid minerals.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time Show on Tuesday, February 4, Oshiomhole clarified that his allegations were not directed at all retired generals but a select group engaged in illicit activities.
He emphasized that the issue is a pressing national security concern and should be treated with the same urgency as oil theft in the Niger Delta.
“It’s not sensible to say so. That would be a reckless, sweeping generalisation. That is not what I said,” Oshiomhole stated.
“I said the problem is that some, and I still believe it to be so; I know it to be so. I said some retired generals are involved. And somehow, we are not deploying the same force as a nation that we deploy to protect our oil in the Niger Delta.”
Allegations Rooted in a Retired General’s Report
The former Edo State governor revealed that his claim was based on firsthand accounts from a retired military general who had personally witnessed the illegal extraction of solid minerals by foreigners operating with the assistance of certain retired Nigerian military officers.
Oshiomhole recounted how he urged the retired general to document his observations in a concise report, which he later submitted to then-President Muhammadu Buhari while serving as the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“There is no way I can comprehend this story because I have no military training or secret training. I pleaded with him to do a summary, not more than two, a maximum of three pages, that I will submit as chairman of the ruling party at that time,” he said.
According to Oshiomhole, the retired general had warned that if the illegal mining operations were not stopped, they could fuel insecurity in the country, possibly surpassing the insurgency in the Northeast.
Oshiomhole’s Efforts to Bring the Matter to Buhari’s Attention
The senator detailed how he took the report directly to former President Buhari, urging him to review its contents and contact the retired general for further clarification.
“And so I took this letter, as I promised him, because I saw a patriotic officer, though retired, but not tired of his loyalty to Nigeria. And I gave it to the then-President Buhari,” Oshiomhole recalled.
He said he recommended that Buhari speak directly with the retired general, believing that the former president, being a retired general himself, would better understand the security implications of unchecked illegal mining operations.
“My advice is that you can call him, and he can give you more graphic details of what he saw and what he knows and his fears about what will happen if this is not nipped in the bud,” he added.
Calls for Action on Illegal Mining
Oshiomhole’s remarks have reignited concerns about Nigeria’s vast mineral resources being exploited by foreign interests with local collaborators.
He questioned why illegal mining has not received the same level of attention and military response as crude oil theft, despite its potential economic and security consequences.
As the debate over illegal mining intensifies, Oshiomhole’s revelations may prompt further scrutiny of the role of security operatives and government agencies in protecting the country’s natural resources.
