Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Cross River State Command, has arrested two suspected members of an armed gang accused of intimidating licensed miners and engaging in illegal mining activities in Yakurr Local Government Area of the state.
The State Commandant, CC Okarazu Chima, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the Command Headquarters in Calabar on Wednesday, where the suspects were paraded.
According to him, the arrests followed a coordinated operation carried out by NSCDC operatives at a mining site in Agoi Ibami, Yakurr Local Government Area, on August 19, 2026, after the Command received credible intelligence from members of the public.
The operation led to the arrest of Stephen Ibiang Francis, 34, and Gideon Emmanuel Okoi, 24, both from Nkpani community in Yakurr. Security operatives also recovered two locally made firearms and items suspected to be charms from the suspects.
Okarazu said preliminary investigations showed that the suspects allegedly acted as armed enforcers for an illegal mining syndicate, using weapons and intimidation to drive away licensed operators before taking over mining sites.
“They operate as armed enforcers,” the Commandant stated. “Their modus operandi involves heavily arming themselves with locally fabricated firearms and charms, and storm the mining sites at Agoi Ibami. They use these weapons to systematically terrorize, intimidate, and violently chase away licensed, legitimate miners from the site. Once the legal operators flee out of fear for their lives, these armed suspects and their cohorts take over the site to illegally mine and cart away precious solid minerals.”
He described the arrest as a significant milestone in the Command’s sustained offensive against individuals involved in the illegal exploitation of the state’s mineral resources.
The Commandant also issued a strong warning to criminal groups engaged in illegal mining activities across Cross River State.
“Let this arrest serve as a definitive, uncompromising warning to all illegal miners and armed syndicates lurking in the forests of Cross River State. The era of intimidating legitimate investors and plundering our commonwealth is over,” he said.
“Solid minerals constitute Critical National Assets. To those who think they can bear unlicensed arms to enforce illegal mining operations: we have the superior firepower, we have the intelligence network, and under the visionary leadership of the Commandant General, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, we will hunt you down.”
Okarazu reaffirmed the Corps’ commitment to safeguarding licensed mining operators, assuring investors of adequate security to enable them to carry out their activities without intimidation.
He disclosed that the suspects remain in custody and have provided useful information to investigators. According to him, efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the syndicate, including those responsible for manufacturing the recovered firearms.
He added that the suspects would be prosecuted after investigations are concluded on charges bordering on illegal possession of firearms, armed intimidation and illegal mining.
The Commandant also applauded members of the public for providing the intelligence that led to the successful operation, urging residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely information.
“When you ‘See Something and Say Something,’ you empower us to protect your communities,” he said.
The latest operation comes as security agencies intensify efforts to curb illegal mining and dismantle criminal groups accused of using violence and illegal weapons to seize mining sites across Nigeria.
