Troops seize 5,000 bags of ilmenite, arrest six suspected illegal miners in Bayelsa

Troops of Operation Delta Safe have seized about 5,000 bags of suspected illegally mined ilmenite sand and arrested six suspected illegal miners in Bayelsa State.

According to security analyst, Zagazola Makama, the suspects were arrested around 4:45 p.m. on September 13, 2026, when troops of the 343 Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, deployed in Tamogbene, Ekeremor Local Government Area, intercepted a wooden boat transporting the mineral.

Makama said the troops acted on operational intelligence before stopping the boat and discovering the bags of ilmenite sand.

Six people suspected of being involved in the illegal mining and transportation of the mineral were arrested during the operation.

“The operation was part of efforts to disrupt illegal mining and the movement of illegally extracted minerals through waterways in the Niger Delta,” Makama said.

He stated that the suspects, the wooden boat and the recovered bags of suspected illegally mined ilmenite sand have been taken into military custody for further investigation.