By: John Bassey, Zamfara.

Zamfara state Police command under the leadership of CP Ibrahim Maikaba has again announced the arrest of 21 illegal mining suspects in a successful coordinated raid at Maradun and Zurumi Local Government Areas respectively.

This was disclosed in a statement issued to Journalists by DSP Yazid Abubakar anipr, Police Public Relations Officer, for Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command, Gusau.

According to the statement, on 31st January, 2026, at about 1400 hours, a joint operation comprising officers of the Anti-Illegal Mining Unit, Tactical Unit, and Bomb Disposal Unit of the Zamfara State Police Command, in collaboration with personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Area Office Gusau, was conducted to dislodge groups of illegal miners.

The operation targeted locations at Boko Village, Zurmi Local Government Area, and Kaya Village, Maradun Local Government Area, where illegal mining activities had been persistently reported.

The raid was successfully executed, leading to the arrest of twenty-one (21) suspected illegal miners.

The suspects are currently under investigation at the Taskforce on Illegal Mining Unit. Further developments will be communicated in due course.