FIC REPORT (LAGOS STATE) – The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illegal mining, with its specialized Mining Marshals shutting down multiple illegal mining sites across the country and arresting both local and foreign suspects, the Corps disclosed at the weekend.
The disclosure was made at the 8th edition of the NSCDC Lagos Public Relations Clinic, held in collaboration with Halogen Group, Nigeria’s leading security risk management firm, on Thursday, September 17, 2026, in Ikeja, Lagos. The event was themed “Collaborative Security as a Paradigm for Mining Security.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the operations, the Commander of NSCDC Mining Marshals, ACC Onoja John Attah, who delivered the Lead Paper at the Clinic, said the shift toward a collaborative enforcement model had transformed outcomes in the sector.
“The collaborative model has given the Mining Marshals, and indeed Nigeria, a lot of results other than what it used to be,” Attah said, adding: “In the last two years, the nation has significantly increased the number of successful operations, sealed illegal sites, commenced prosecutions and, most importantly, helped restore investor confidence in the sector.”
He noted that as a result of these operational strides, the mining industry had “returned to being an orderly, revenue-generating sector for Nigeria.”
In his keynote address, the Lagos State Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Adedotun Keshinro, fnarc, said the scope of mining security had far outgrown the protection of individual sites.
“Mining Security is no longer just about securing a pit or a site,” Keshinro said. “It is about securing a national economic lifeline, protecting host communities, ensuring environmental compliance, preventing economic sabotage, and denying criminal elements the space to fund other criminalities.”
He stressed that no single agency could tackle the challenge alone, insisting that “the paradigm must shift to Collaborative Security.” He described the PR Clinic as a strategic platform that had, over eight editions, reshaped the Command’s approach to public communication.
“For eight editions, the Command has retooled its Public Relations Officers, Area Commanders and Divisional Officers, moving PR from mere press releases to a core operational function of proactive engagement, crisis communication and trust-building,” he said.
Keshinro also commended Halogen Group for its continued partnership, describing the collaboration as evidence of “commitment to professionalizing the security industry and deepening the synergy between the regulator and the regulated.”
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Operations and Services at Halogen Group, said the firm’s private security role was designed to complement, not compete with, state institutions.
“We do not build our roles separate from the state, but rather as essential force multipliers,” he said, adding that combining “the NSCDC authority with our own agility will definitely be an impenetrable shield that can be created around the nation’s assets to power its economy.”
He called for joint training programmes between NSCDC personnel and Halogen staff to further strengthen field capacity and operational performance.
Representing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Akinoso Oluwagbenga used the occasion to brief participants on the scale and geographical spread of Nigeria’s mineral deposits, while urging stakeholders to deepen collaborative efforts to secure mining corridors nationwide.
Professor Adedeji Oyenuga of the Department of Sociology, Lagos State University, who further interrogated the Clinic’s theme, called on stakeholders to work closely with the NSCDC to guarantee effective mining security.
“Collaboration will enhance intelligence, faster emergency response and precise target enforcement,” Oyenuga said, listing some of the direct benefits of a joint security approach.
The discussions were further enriched by a panel session moderated by Miss Cyndy Ezeh, featuring Mr Femi Kayode (Chairman, ASIS), Mr Charles Keku (Managing Director, Pahek Security Services), Professor Adedeji Oyenuga, Comrade Adedotun Adewale (Lagos State Chairman, Scrap Dealers Association), and Mrs Akinoso Taiwo Oluwagbenga, Director at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
The event was formally closed by the Head of Administration, NSCDC Lagos State Command, Deputy Commandant of Corps Evans-Emmanuel Oluwatoyin, alongside Mrs Oluwarantimi Olaniyan, Head of Marketing and Communications at Halogen Group.
Dignitaries in attendance included the Head, Talent and Risk at Halogen Group, Mrs Sandra Iyoha; the Head, Human Capital, Mrs Olaide Akinyode; and representatives of the Federal Fire Service (FFS), Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), SOL, GLI and Realtor Max, alongside numerous media organisations.
Dimaka Chioma
Deputy Director
Information/ Public Relations.
18 / 09 / 2026.
