Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a lawmaker representing Edo North in the 10th National Assembly, has accused retired military generals of being responsible for illegal mining across the country.

He made the allegation when the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Sampson Ekong, submitted his 2025 budget report before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Friday, January 24, 2025.

Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Interior and member of the Appropriations Committee said the retired military generals are known to him and everyone else.

The former Edo State Governor recalled writing a letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari while he was in office, complaining about the activities of illegal miners and their sponsors.

“The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals, and we know them. Yes, we know them. Nobody in Africa doesn’t know them. I wrote a letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter when he was in office.

ALSO READ: Nigerian govt arrests 300 illegal miners in nationwide crackdown

“This is because a team that I sent to go and conduct the primary somewhere reported back to me the challenge of conducting primary elections in Zamfara because of the illegal miners.

“If we have to fight this menace, we need to deploy the Army even to kill anyone who is involved in the illegal pumping of oil. We should also deploy JTFs, comprising the Army, Police, and Air force, against them,” he said.

The lawmaker argued that the Federal Government's efforts to diversify the Nigerian economy would remain a mirage if President Bola Tinubu's administration failed to address the issue of illegal mining.

Responding, the panel agreed with the Senator's submission and threw down the gauntlet for various security agencies in the country on the matter.

ALSO READ: EFCC detains 5 suspected Chinese nationals over illegal mining