By Nkechinyere Ewa, Abakaliki
The rising tide of illegal mining in Ebonyi State has sparked concern at the highest level, as Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has called for the deployment of at least 400 personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to strengthen security and protect the state’s mineral wealth.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, at the Government House, Abakaliki, the governor decried what he described as “grossly inadequate” security manpower in the state.
“Ebonyi doesn’t have manpower up to what a single local government has elsewhere. What is our sin?” Nwifuru asked, expressing frustration over the state’s vulnerability to illegal mining and other security threats.
The governor lamented that while miners in Ebonyi claim to extract lead and zinc, many are secretly harvesting gold without federal oversight or accountability.
“The army is doing NSCDC’s job because you don’t have the men. Some people are mining lead and zinc, but they’re actually extracting gold. The country is losing a lot,” he said.
To bridge the manpower gap, Governor Nwifuru revealed that his administration had submitted a list of 194 qualified Ebonyi youths for recruitment into the Corps and pledged to provide logistics support.
“If you give us 400 officers, the 10 Hilux vehicles will come immediately,” he assured.
In his remarks, Commandant General Audi commended the governor’s proactive stance, noting that the Corps has already shut down over 600 illegal mining sites across the country and arrested more than 500 suspects, including foreign nationals.
“We are operating in an asymmetric security environment from terrorism to illegal mining and we can only succeed through coordination and collaboration,” he said.
The visit also featured the inauguration of Saint Francis Chapel at the NSCDC State Command Headquarters, a project initiated by the State Commandant, Mr. Francis Nnadi, to promote discipline and spiritual growth among officers.
For the Ebonyi governor, however, the message remains clear: until adequate federal security presence is assured, the fight against illegal mining and the loss of the state’s natural wealth will remain an uphill battle.