Osun Council Chairmen Clash with Military Over Illegal Mining Cover-Up

Tensions flared in Ibodi, Osun State, Nigeria, as local government chairmen confronted military personnel accused of protecting illegal mining operations. The council leaders, joined by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and police, asserted that the military was enabling environmental degradation and security issues caused by unlicensed miners.

The confrontation arose when the delegation attempted to stop miners from collecting illegal tickets and levies from unlicensed officials at a mining site. Military personnel present reportedly obstructed the enforcement team, leading to a heated standoff. The intervention of Hon. Sanya Omirin, the federal representative for Ijesa South Constituency, along with senior police officers, eventually diffused the situation, allowing the council chairmen to halt the illegal mining and ticketing activities.

Following the incident at Ibodi, the enforcement team proceeded to the Ijana Wasare community, where they shut down further illegal mining sites and banned the issuance of tickets to unlicensed operators. The Chairman of Ilesa-West Local Government, Mr. Lanre Balogun, speaking for the council chairmen, emphasized the necessity of these actions to protect communities from the severe environmental and security consequences of illegal mining.

Balogun detailed the extensive damage across Ijesa land, including environmental degradation, destruction of farmlands, polluted water sources, and displacement of farmers. He noted that attempts to obtain information from the Osun State Mining Office yielded no satisfactory response. The chairmen alleged that unregistered and untraceable miners were operating illegally while unknown individuals collected revenue through ticketing, prioritizing profit over community safety. The NSCDC's prompt response and subsequent actions against illegal miners were commended.

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We discovered that many of these mining sites have no records whatsoever with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. They are unregistered, unlicensed and largely untraceable. Rather than enforcement, what we observed was the unlawful collection of revenue by unknown artisanal miners at the expense of the safety of our communities.