Some retired Generals are aiding illegal mining in Nigeria – Oshiomhole insists

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, has reiterated his claim that some retired military generals, in collaboration with foreign interests, are engaged in the illegal extraction of Nigeria’s solid minerals.

Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time Show on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Oshiomhole clarified that he did not accuse all retired generals but maintained that some were involved.

“It’s not sensible to say all retired generals are involved. That would be a reckless, sweeping generalisation. That is not what I said. I said the problem is that some, and I still believe it to be so; I know it to be so,” he stated.

Oshiomhole revealed that his claims are based on a report by a retired general who personally witnessed foreigners illegally mining Nigerian resources with the help of retired military officers. He explained that he urged the general to document his findings in a brief report, which he subsequently submitted to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“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 to the president, who incidentally is a retired general himself. I advised him to put his phone number so that the president could call him if he wished for more details,” Oshiomhole recalled.

According to him, the retired officer had warned that failure to curb the illegal mining operations could lead to a security crisis worse than the insurgency in the Northeast.

Oshiomhole further argued that such large-scale illegal mining could not be happening without the knowledge of influential figures.

“It is absolutely impossible for foreigners, who are not geologists, to come into Nigeria, locate mining sites, extract minerals, and transport them out of the country without some powerful people knowing about it,” he said.

However, the former Edo State governor acknowledged that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has begun addressing the issue by setting up special marshals to secure Nigeria’s mining sites.