Mining Marshals Defend Stone Rockers Shutdown, Cite Ongoing Court Case

By Zainab Uzomah

The Mining Marshals have defended the continued closure of the Stone Rockers quarry in Abuja, saying the site remains a crime scene in an ongoing illegal mining case before the Federal High Court.

The Commander of the Mining Marshals said the facility was sealed as part of a criminal investigation and not as an administrative sanction, insisting it cannot be reopened while the case is before the court.

The development follows a petition by Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited to President Bola Tinubu and other government officials, protesting the 13-month closure of its operations and alleging that the action was unlawful.

According to the Mining Marshals, Stone Rockers and its director, Kolawole Olaiya, are facing trial over alleged illegal mining within a mineral title area belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures Nigeria Limited.

The Commander said investigations traced the alleged activities to coordinates within Mining Lease 000395 ML, which the Mining Cadastre Office reportedly confirmed in a January 23, 2026 letter as belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures.

He said the prosecution followed petitions by the complainant and investigations directed by the Ministers of Solid Minerals Development and Interior.

The Mining Marshals also rejected allegations of financial inducement, saying enforcement action was based on evidence gathered during the investigation. The agency maintained that the dispute is already before the courts and warned against attempts to use administrative pressure or public campaigns to influence the proceedings.

It said prosecutors were also reviewing whether some workers initially excluded from the charge should be relisted, following evidence of their alleged involvement in protests over the continued closure.

The Mining Marshals vowed to continue enforcing Nigeria’s mining laws, insisting that public pressure would not deter the prosecution of alleged illegal mining operators.