Oshiomhole Insists Retired Military Generals Conniving with Foreigners to Steal Solid Minerals

Adams Oshiomhole, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, has reiterated his claim that certain retired military generals are collaborating with foreign nationals to illegally exploit Nigeria’s solid minerals.

In an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time Show on February 4, 2025, Oshiomhole provided further clarification regarding his earlier statement, emphasizing that he did not accuse all retired generals but rather only some of them of being involved in this illegal activity.

“It’s not sensible to say so. That would be a reckless, sweeping generalisation. That is not what I said. I said the problem is that some, and I still believe it to be so; I know it to be so. I said some retired generals are involved,” he remarked, distancing himself from making blanket accusations. He added that Nigeria has not deployed the same level of force to safeguard its solid minerals as it does with its oil reserves in the Niger Delta.

Oshiomhole explained that his allegations stemmed from the account of a retired general, who claimed to have witnessed foreigners engaging in illegal mining operations with the support of some retired Nigerian military personnel. In response to the general’s report, Oshiomhole asked for a concise summary of the situation, which was later submitted to then-President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I pleaded with him to do a summary, not more than two, a maximum of three pages, that I will submit as chairman of the ruling party at that time, that I will submit to the president, who incidentally is a retired general before becoming the president of Nigeria,” Oshiomhole recalled.

The senator stressed the seriousness of the situation, noting that the retired general had warned that if left unchecked, the scale of illegal mining could escalate into a more significant threat. “He warned me that if that thing is not checked, what is happening in the Northeast will be child’s play,” Oshiomhole said.

Oshiomhole further asserted that it would be impossible for foreigners, without proper expertise, to identify and mine valuable minerals across Nigeria’s vast terrain without some level of local assistance. He expressed doubt that such operations could continue without the knowledge of influential individuals in the country.

Despite the ongoing challenges, Oshiomhole acknowledged that the current administration under President Bola Tinubu has started addressing the issue, citing the recent formation of marshals tasked with monitoring mining activities in Nigeria.

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