Troops arrest four suspected illegal miners, recover equipment in Nasarawa

Troops of Operation MESA have arrested four suspected illegal miners and recovered several mining equipment during a raid on an illegal mining site in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The operation was disclosed on Tuesday in a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama, who said the raid was carried out by troops of the 177 Guards Battalion deployed at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Tattara.

According to the post, the operation took place at about 3:00 p.m. on Monday following credible intelligence on illegal mining activities at Saniyan Gitata in Karu LGA.

The troops reportedly stormed the site and arrested four suspects who were allegedly involved in unlawful mining operations.

“Items recovered during the raid included an industrial generator, three motorcycles, six shovels, three digging tools, 17 rubber basins, seven jerrycans, two mobile phones and an electric cable believed to have been used for the illegal mining activities,” Makama wrote.

Zagazola said the suspects and the recovered items are currently in military custody while investigations continue. They are expected to face legal action after the investigation is concluded.