Abuja — The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has described the verdict that sentenced Ansaru commander Mahmud Usman to 15 years in jail as a major victory in the war against illegal mining.

On Thursday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja gave the verdict and remanded the accused in prison to face 31 other charges.

Commending the judiciary for supporting the efforts of the ministry to crush illegal mining, Alake said the verdict has finally established that bandits engage in illegal mining to fund their operations.

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"It is gratifying for me that the judiciary is aligned with the ministry's objective of zero tolerance for illegal mining. Further tightening of the noose around illegalities in mining continues as more drastic measures will be announced shortly," he said.

Alake said the ministry shall monitor the proceedings of the remaining 31 cases of terrorism against the Ansaru commanders noting regulators of the mining sector have a lot to learn from these cases to improve capacity to counter illegal mining.

The minister praised the Directorate of State Security Services (DSS) for the yeoman's job of monitoring, detecting, and arresting terrorists to face the wrath of the law.

"We shall increase inter-agency collaboration to raise the tempo of surveillance to rid our communities of illegal mining perpetrated by bandits," the minister stated.

Translated as the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, the Ansaru group is facing court charges for attacking the Nigerian Army Wawa Cantonment and raiding Kuje Prisons, Abuja in 2022, among other terrorist activities.

It would be recalled that the Minister set up the Mining Marshals in 2024 to combat illegal mining and improve the security of the sector.