Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has significantly increased his personal security following multiple d3ath threats linked to the revocation of mining licences for noncompliance with government regulations.
Alake revealed on Friday during a pre-event briefing ahead of the 10th Nigeria Mining Week in Abuja that the threats, including direct text messages to his phone, became so serious that he had no choice but to triple the number of armed personnel protecting him.
The Nigeria Mining Week, scheduled for October 13 to 15, 2025, will bring together policymakers, investors, and stakeholders under the theme “Nigeria Mining: From Progress to Global Relevance” to evaluate the country’s growth in the sector.
Addressing the press, Alake said the ministry’s renewed enforcement of long-neglected mining laws, which included revoking dormant licences, had drawn resistance from powerful individuals and companies accustomed to years of impunity.
“In fact, I’ve had to triple my personal security because of threats from those whose licences were revoked for one infraction or another,” he said. “One even sent me a text message directly threatening me.”
He added that some affected parties had resorted to intimidation, blackmail, and sponsored media attacks to halt the ongoing reforms. “They have used every tactic to pressure us to reverse these decisions. But we are battle-hardened. We fought to get here, and we will not retreat,” Alake said.
The revocations, according to reports, include 3,794 mining titles, with 1,263 licences cancelled in the last two years under Alake’s leadership. The minister’s expanded security detail, however, contradicts President Bola Tinubu’s directive limiting ministers to five security personnel and three convoy vehicles as part of federal cost-cutting measures.
Alake stressed that the crackdown targets inactive licence holders to restore transparency and credibility to the sector. “We discovered operators holding licences for over a decade without paying fees or conducting any exploration,” he said. “Enforcing regulations that were long ignored is necessary to stop this impunity.”
He also highlighted attempts by some companies to intimidate the ministry through media campaigns or threats of international arbitration. “One company that has avoided paying fees for years is now threatening international arbitration. I want to see an international court side with a firm that violated our local laws,” he said.
Describing the threats and attacks as “the price of reform,” Alake reaffirmed that the ministry would continue its mission to sanitise the solid minerals industry. “This is about principle, not personality. We cannot keep doing things the old way and expect different results,” he said.
He noted that the ministry is enforcing the “use it or lose it” clause in every mining licence, akin to global land ownership regulations. “Just as a certificate of occupancy requires development within a set period, the same rule applies to mining licences,” he explained.
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