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The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has sealed a lithium mining site in Libata, Kebbi State, over alleged violations of mining laws and the illegal extraction of lithium worth an estimated ₦1.43 trillion.
According to the NSCDC Mining Marshals, the operators were linked to a company under investigation for large-scale mineral theft and regulatory breaches. The company, working alongside unnamed foreign nationals, allegedly extracted lithium valued at ₦1,431,762,340,450 over a two-year period.
Officials claim the firm exceeded the boundaries of its Small Scale Mining License (SSML) and Exploration License, trespassing into areas belonging to another titleholder. This breach, they said, contravenes Section 46(2) of the 2007 Minerals and Mining Act and Section 48 of the Nigerian Mining Regulations, 2011.
The NSCDC noted that the operation not only robbed the government of substantial revenue but also undermined the country’s legal safeguards for mineral resource management.
The enforcement followed an inspection involving security operatives, state mine officers, and representatives of the company.
However, the directors of the implicated firm, Three Crown Mines, failed to appear before NSCDC investigators in Abuja on July 21, citing “inconvenience” in a letter submitted by their legal counsel.
John Onoja, Assistant Commandant of Corps and Commander of the Mining Marshals, rejected the excuse, calling it unacceptable and cautioning against any obstruction of the probe. He stressed the need to agree on a new appearance date to keep the investigation on track.
“We will not negotiate the mineral fortune of Nigeria across any roundtable. Mineral theft is not a compoundable offence,” Onoja declared, reiterating the NSCDC’s “zero tolerance” policy on illegal mining.
This clampdown comes shortly after the Ministry of Solid Minerals slammed a ₦2 billion fine on Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company following a similar investigation spearheaded by the Marshals.
Onoja affirmed that these enforcement actions are in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the directives of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake.
Commenting on the development, NSCDC Commandant-General, Abubakar Audi, highlighted the critical role of law enforcement in economic governance.
“The enforcement of laws that protect federal revenue is foundational to Nigeria’s prosperity. The sanitisation of the mining sector is not just necessary –it is non-negotiable,” he said.
Lithium, a key element in the global energy transition, plays a strategic role in Nigeria’s economic development. Authorities warn that its unregulated extraction poses a major risk to both national revenue and sovereignty.
