Mining Marshals Explain Stone Rockers Shutdown

….Say Abuja Quarry Remains Crime Scene

The Mining Marshals have justified the continued closure of the Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited quarry in Abuja, saying the facility remains a crime scene in an ongoing criminal case before the Federal High Court.

The clarification followed a recent petition by Stone Rockers to President Bola Tinubu and other government officials, in which the company protested its 13-month shutdown and argued that the closure lacked legal backing.

However, the Mining Marshals said the quarry was not shut as an administrative punishment but sealed because it is the alleged locus criminis in a criminal prosecution involving the company and its director, Kolawole Olaiya.

According to the Commander of the Mining Marshals, the defendants are standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/VR/338/2026 over alleged illegal mining activities within a mineral title belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures Nigeria Limited.

He said the case followed investigations initiated after several petitions by Lord’s Career Ventures and subsequently referred to the Mining Marshals by the Ministers of Solid Minerals Development and Interior through the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The Commander said the defendants were arrested at coordinates identified as longitude 7°17’24″E and latitude 8°52’11″N, which investigators determined to be within Mining Lease No. 000395 ML belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures.

He added that the Mining Cadastre Office, in a letter dated January 23, 2026, confirmed that the disputed coordinates fall within the complainant’s licensed mining area.

The agency also disclosed that documentary evidence gathered during the investigation would be presented before the court, including a letter allegedly written by a member of the defence team, Mohammed Olanrewaju Jibril, on August 12, 2025.

The Commander claimed the correspondence, allegedly written on the defendants’ instructions, contained admissions relevant to the allegations before the court.

He maintained that the prosecution had gathered substantial documentary evidence extending beyond the disputed coordinates and correspondence.

The Mining Marshals also criticised what they described as efforts by the defendants to seek administrative intervention while the dispute is already before the courts.

“The issues raised by the defendants are already the subject of judicial proceedings,” the Commander said, warning that attempts to resolve the matter outside the judicial process could prejudice the ongoing cases.

He further alleged that the defendants had resorted to “every extrajudicial means” to frustrate the criminal proceedings, including what he described as efforts to pressure him through petitions to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

The Commander insisted that such pressure would not stop the agency from prosecuting the case.

“No matter the level of blackmail and harassment deployed by illegal mining and erring industry players, the Mining Marshals will not be deterred from ensuring that the full weight of the law is pressed very tightly against everyone who breaks the laws in the Nigerian mining sector,” he said.

On the workers arrested during the initial enforcement operation, the agency explained that prosecutors had earlier removed them from the charge after determining that they were employees acting for a disclosed principal and might not have possessed the necessary criminal intent.

However, the Commander said the decision was being reconsidered following the participation of some workers in protests against the continued closure of the quarry.

He said prosecutors had been directed to assess whether the affected workers should be relisted as defendants if further evidence establishes their involvement in the alleged illegal mining activities.

The Mining Marshals also denied allegations that the enforcement operation was influenced by financial inducement.

According to the Commander, although Lord’s Career Ventures had complained of financial losses resulting from its inability to commence operations because of the alleged encroachment, the company did not provide the Mining Marshals with money or logistics for the operation that led to the arrests.

He stressed that the enforcement action was based on evidence obtained during the investigation and not on the financial capacity or influence of either party.

The Mining Marshals reaffirmed their commitment to tackling illegal mining and protecting legitimate mineral title holders, saying neither media pressure nor public campaigns would influence the prosecution.

The dispute between Stone Rockers and Lord’s Career Ventures has produced competing claims and multiple legal proceedings, with Stone Rockers insisting that its closure was unlawful, while the Mining Marshals maintain that the quarry must remain sealed until the court determines the criminal case.