By Teddy Nwanunobi
Troops of the 176 Guards Battalion arrested a suspected kingpin of an illegal mining syndicate and three other suspects during a raid on illegal mining sites in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The arrest was stated in an operational report available on Thursday. It said the operation was carried out at about 8:30 p.m. on July 13 in the Dukpa community.
The arrest of a group of illegal miners in the community on July 7 led troops to identify and raid the syndicate’s operational base.
According to the report, the principal suspect confessed during preliminary interrogation to sponsoring the illegal mining operation.
It also disclosed that he recruited labourers from Katsina State to engage in illegal mining within the FCT.
“Items recovered during the operation include one motorcycle, two digging tools, seven filter carpets, seven pumping machine nozzles, 53 wraps of suspected cannabis, ₦360,400 cash and other mining implements.
“The suspects and recovered exhibits are currently in military custody pending further investigation and handover to the appropriate authorities for prosecution,” the report said.
The report added that the raid was part of ongoing anti-illegal-mining operations under Operation MESA, aimed at dismantling illegal-mining networks, protecting Nigeria’s mineral resources, and addressing security threats associated with illicit mining in the FCT.