Investigations have revealed that Police officers in Kwara State are complicit in aiding and protecting illegal mining operations.
This Exposé was uncovered in an investigation published by The Informant247.
According to sources, police officers are always at illegal lithium mining sites in Kakanfu, Pategi Local Government Area of Kwara State, not to enforce the law but to collect illicit gains.
A former illegal miner recalled an incident from last year when a police vehicle approached their mining area. Instead of apprehending the miners, the officers reportedly demanded a share of the profits. He further claimed that this practice has become routine, with the police forming alliances with community leaders to streamline their collections.
The complicity of law enforcement agencies does not stop at the police; the NSCDC is also involved in these corrupt activities, according to sources. The mining operations have turned into a lucrative source of income for them.
According to the investigation, The Informant247 team during one of their two visits to the mining sites in August, saw fully armed police officers interacting with the illegal miners in a friendly manner, suggesting their active involvement in these activities.
Additionally, the investigation uncovered that several stores – where the illegally extracted lithium is sorted in Lade – are protected by paid police agents.
The profits generated from these illicit dealings flow upward through a system of returns, where subordinates pay a portion of their earnings to their superiors, the investigation uncovered.
Furthermore, officials from the Patigi Local Government Authority are reportedly complicit in this web of corruption. They impose a “government tax” of N30,000 on every small truck carrying 100 sacks of 50kg lithium from the mine.
At checkpoints on the outskirts of Lade town, police officers ignore trucks loaded with illegally mined lithium, allowing them to pass freely. Witnesses allege that these officers have already received their share of the spoils.
Additionally, a military checkpoint at Tsaragi is said to demand N50,000 from every large truck transporting lithium to Lagos, a key destination for the mineral.
While The Informant247 could not independently verify this claim, they observed and captured instances of soldiers openly demanding bribes from motorists at the Tsaragi military checkpoint – some kilometres from the mining operation site.
The Police in Kwara State and Military spokesperson did not respond when contacted about these findings.
Criminologist Abdulkareem Abdulrazaq Azeez from the University of Ilorin emphasized the need for a thorough review of the country’s security framework, citing the prevalence of checkpoints where officers often choose profit over justice, thereby allowing illegal activities to persist unchecked.
You can read the story here:
INVESTIGATION | Lithium at any cost: Bribery, abuses, deaths – the dark side of Nigeria’s illegal mining
Watch documentary here:
INVESTIGATION | SILENT LOOT | Exposing the dark alliances: Illegal mining, complicit authorities and shadowy sponsors