Wanted: A Strong Alliances Between Palaces and the Mining Marshal, by Zekeri Idakwo Laruba
From the days of the colonial administration, traditional rulers and their institutions have played a pivotal role in the development of the nation, the subnational governments, and the immediate communities under their authority. Unfortunately, in recent times, their roles have been heavily politicized and compromised. This trend is both alarming and detrimental to our collective progress.
The recent uproar in Agwada, Nasarawa State, over mining-related casualties and disruptions to farming has again exposed the delicate relationship between security operatives and host communities. It is heartbreaking to hear the palace lament over some worrisome occurrences and the emotional pain of parents whose children were recruited into illegal mining pits that later collapsed on them. No community should bear such tragedy. The concern of some traditional rulers in certain areas, reflects the genuine suffering of a people who feel abandoned in their own backyard as a result of illegal minners.
Yet, in moments of grief and public tension, traditional institutions must choose partnership over confrontation. The Mining Marshal Unit of the NSCDC was deployed because illegal mining had already reached levels that endangered lives and stripped the community of its resources. The real enemy is not the Marshal, but the hidden syndicates that lure children into dangerous sites, recruit vulnerable youths, bribe select individuals for protection, and rip minerals from community lands without accountability. These illegal operators thrive when security agencies are pushed out. They operate with impunity when community intelligence is weak or compromised. Whenever communities become hostile to security efforts, it is usually because criminals have succeeded in buying sympathy, emotion, or silence.
Rather than demanding the removal of Marshals, traditional rulers should insist on deeper collaboration with them. Security agencies do not understand local networks the way palace institutions do. A community that provides credible intelligence gives security operatives the leverage to identify who sponsors illegal mining, who recruits underage labourers, who claims licenses fraudulently, and who bankrolls the activities at night. Without community cooperation, the Marshal may only chase shadows.
The Mining Marshal Commander, ACC Onoja, has explained in several occasions that his team has been arresting offenders and prosecuting them. As records have shown, their efforts are clearly disrupting the illegal market, and any disruption of criminal profit automatically generates resistance and agitation. That pushback can be easily disguised as protests, emotional appeals, or even demands for change in personnel. In situations like this, traditional rulers must be careful not to allow legitimate grievances to become the weapon of vested interests who are afraid of losing proceeds from illegal mining.
Community leaders hold the moral authority to steer their people away from being used as pawns by private actors who flash quick cash or misleading promises. What is at stake is not just territory; it is the future of mineral benefits, lawful royalties, community compensation, environmental protection and safer jobs for the youth. Traditional institutions should champion dialogue with the Mining Marshal, organize community engagement forums, insist that mining activities do not obstruct farming rights, and demand that enforcement be more transparent, respectful and community-guided. If they do not lead the cooperation, someone else will mislead it.
On the other hand, security operatives, as they have always been doing, must understand that enforcement alone does not build trust. The Marshal must consistently carry the people along, communicate arrests and prosecution outcomes, listen to complaints, and avoid excessive force or actions that appear to criminalize farmers merely accessing their land. The presence of Marshals should feel protective, not punitive.
Nasarawa has the chance to become a model for how host communities, traditional leaders and security agencies can jointly manage mineral resources in a way that protects lives, protects land and protects the future. When a community partners with security, illegal mining collapses; when they become adversaries, criminals flourish. Some unfortunate events happening must not end as a protest chant. It must inspire a more responsible partnership that ensures no such tragedy is repeated.
The mineral wealth beneath Nasarawa soil belongs to the people; the Mining Marshal exists to defend it on behalf of those same people. Traditional rulers must stand not against the Marshal, but beside him, so that the community can finally benefit from what God has placed under its land.
Zekeri Idakwo Laruba is the Assistant Editor Economic confidential. He can be reached at: [email protected]