ABUJA — Governors from Nigeria’s 19 northern states, alongside leading traditional rulers from the region, have jointly called for a six‑month suspension of all mining activities across the North, while demanding that mining operations be placed under the oversight of state‑level police forces instead of local vigilante or community groups.
The demand was made during a closed‑door meeting held this week. According to a communique issued after the meeting, the signatories described the proliferation of illegal mining largely artisanal and small‑scale operations — as having become a major security threat. They argued the activities facilitate banditry, armed robbery and environmental degradation, and undermine local governance.
Under the proposal, a six‑month moratorium would serve as a “cooling off” period to allow the states to deploy security forces to patrol known mining areas, map mining sites, register legitimate miners, and create a central regulatory registry before resuming operations.
Traditional rulers the communique notes pledged to support compliance, warning that any miner caught operating during the ban would be treated as an outlaw. The governors, for their part, committed to using federal powers and coordinating with security agencies to enforce the suspension.
While specifics of enforcement mechanisms remain vague, observers say the move reflects growing alarm over how unregulated mining is being used to fund criminal networks, especially in forest zones where bandit and insurgent activity has surged in recent months. If fully implemented, the ban could affect thousands of informal miners many of whom rely on mining as their main livelihood sparking concerns over economic hardship and social unrest in mining‑dependent communities.
Dalena Reporters will continue to monitor whether the federal government, relevant states, and security agencies act on this demand and whether legal or policy frameworks are proposed to regulate mining and protect local residents.