PAGMI Gains Momentum as Mining Marshals Flush Out Thousands of Illegal Miners in Kebbi
The FG Artisanal Gold Mining Initiative (PAGMI) has recorded a major breakthrough as thousands of illegal miners were dislodged from designated mining sites in Yauri LGA, Kebbi State.
In a coordinated, multi-agency operation, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals, working alongside the Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Police Force, reclaimed PAGMI sites that had been illegally occupied for months.
The illegal operators had deployed heavy machinery and unsafe practices that caused land degradation, polluted water sources, and heightened insecurity in host communities. Farmlands were destroyed, rivers contaminated, and abandoned pits posed deadly risks especially during the rainy season.
According to the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant John Onoja Attah, PAGMI is designed to formalise artisanal mining, protect communities, and ensure mineral resources deliver shared economic benefits not chaos.
“Mining must be legal, structured and sustainable. Anything outside the law endangers lives, the environment and national security,” he said.
Surveillance and routine patrols have now been intensified to prevent reoccupation, while environmental assessments and recovery efforts are underway.
For communities in Yauri, the crackdown brings cautious hope: a chance for mining to finally work for the people not against them.
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