The Nigerian Senate on Thursday proposed of a bill to establish the Nigerian Mine Rangers Service (NMRS) in a move towards addressing the pressing issue of illegal mining and its associated security threats.
According to Mohammed Onawo, the bill’s sponsor during plenary, “The proposed Mine Rangers Service will play a key role in curbing illegal mining, rescuing trapped miners, providing emergency medical care, investigating mining accidents, and enforcing mining regulations.”
This development comes on the heels of the Federal Government’s introduction of mining marshals, an inter-agency security outfit comprising special operatives from the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The mining marshals, launched in March 2024, aims to checkmate illegal mining of solid minerals across the country.
