Troops of the 176 Guards Battalion under Operation MESA have arrested 98 suspected illegal miners during a raid on a mining site in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The development was disclosed in a post on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama, who cited intelligence sources on the operation.
According to the report, the raid was carried out around 5:55 p.m. on March 23 after authorities received credible information about ongoing illegal mining activities in the area. Troops reportedly stormed the site and apprehended the suspects without any resistance.
Items recovered during the operation included one vehicle, eight motorcycles, five pumping machines, 27 shovels, seven sledgehammers, 22 diggers, three head pans, five mining mats, and a sack of charcoal.
“The arrested suspects have been handed over to the Guards Brigade Provost Group for further investigation and necessary action,” he said.
The operation highlights continued efforts by security forces to clamp down on illegal mining and related activities within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
.){kind=link}