By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Mining Marshals have defended the continued closure of the Stone Rockers quarry site in Abuja, insisting that the facility remains a crime scene in an ongoing criminal prosecution and cannot be reopened pending determination of the case before the Federal High Court.
The clarification comes days after Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited petitioned President Bola Tinubu and key government officials over the 13-month shutdown of its operations, alleging that the action was unlawful and unsupported by any court order. The company’s claims have drawn widespread media attention.
Responding to the allegations, the Commander of the Mining Marshals said the quarry was sealed not as an administrative sanction but because it constitutes the _locus criminis_ in a criminal matter currently before the court.
According to him, Stone Rockers and its director, Mr. Kolawole Olaiya, are standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/CR/338/2026 over allegations of illegal mining activities within a mineral title area legally belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures Nigeria Limited.
The Commander explained that the prosecution followed extensive investigations triggered by a series of petitions submitted by the complainant company over a period of more than one year. The petitions were referred by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and the Minister of Interior to the Mining Marshals through the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for investigation and prosecution.
He disclosed that investigators arrested the defendants at coordinates longitude 7°17’24″E and latitude 8°52’11″N, which, according to findings by the Mining Marshals, fall within Mining Lease No. 000395 ML belonging to Lord’s Career Ventures Nigeria Limited.
To support the claim, the agency cited a letter dated January 23, 2026 from the Mining Cadastre Office, which reportedly confirmed that the disputed coordinates are located within the complainant’s licensed mining area.
The Mining Marshals further revealed that part of the evidence to be tendered before the court includes correspondence allegedly written by a member of the defence team, Mohammed Olanrewaju Jibril, during the investigation phase.
According to the Commander, the letter, dated August 12, 2025 and allegedly written on the instructions of the defendants, contains admissions relevant to the allegations now before the court.
“The issues raised by the defendants are already the subject of judicial proceedings,” the Commander said, warning against actions capable of undermining or prejudicing the ongoing cases.
He alleged that the defendants were pursuing “every extrajudicial means” to frustrate the criminal proceedings and argued that their latest petition to the President did not merit official consideration. He said the petition formed part of a broader effort to shape public opinion after unsuccessful attempts to harass him through petitions to the ICPC.
“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.
The Commander also appealed to media organisations to strengthen editorial gatekeeping to ensure reports lacking sufficient merit or verification do not gain traction.
On the status of workers initially arrested, the agency said prosecutors had earlier amended the charge to exclude them, but recent developments, including participation of some workers in protests over the shutdown, have prompted a review. Prosecutors have now been directed to consider relisting affected workers if evidence establishes greater involvement.
The Mining Marshals also rejected allegations that enforcement actions were influenced by financial inducement, stressing that decisions were based solely on evidence gathered during investigations.
The dispute between Stone Rockers and Lord’s Career Ventures has generated multiple legal proceedings and competing public narratives, with Stone Rockers maintaining that its closure was unlawful while the Mining Marshals insist the matter is now firmly before the courts for determination.
