MINISTER of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has revealed that he has tripled his personal security following multiple death threats from individuals and companies whose mining licences were revoked as part of the Federal Government’s renewed crackdown on non-compliant operators in the sector.
News Point Nigeria reports that speaking on Friday at a pre-event media briefing ahead of the 10th edition of the Nigeria Mining Week, scheduled to hold from October 13 to 15, 2025, in Abuja, the minister disclosed that the threats became “frequent, direct, and credible”, forcing him to strengthen his security detail as a precautionary measure.
The event, themed “Nigeria Mining: From Progress to Global Relevance,” is expected to gather policymakers, investors, and international stakeholders to review the nation’s mining trajectory and its march toward global competitiveness.
Alake, known for his assertive reform agenda, said his enforcement of long-ignored mining regulations and mass revocation of dormant or defaulting licences had provoked anger among entrenched interests that had benefited from years of impunity and regulatory neglect.
“In fact, I have had to triple my personal security because I’ve received several threats from those whose licences were revoked for one form of infraction or the other,” Alake said. “One even sent me a text message threatening me directly.”
The minister alleged that some of those affected by the reforms had resorted to blackmail, intimidation, and orchestrated media attacks in an attempt to derail the government’s effort to sanitize the sector.
“They have employed all sorts of tactics to make us reverse these decisions. But I told them, you can go and study my antecedents. We didn’t dance into this office; we fought battles to get here. We are battle-hardened and we will not retreat,” he declared defiantly.
Under Alake’s leadership, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has revoked 3,794 mining titles nationwide, including 1,263 licences withdrawn in the last two years alone.
He explained that many of the revoked titles belonged to operators who had held licences for over a decade without paying annual service fees or conducting any exploration or mining activity, thereby violating the “use it or lose it” clause enshrined in Nigeria’s mining laws.
“We came in and started enforcing the regulations that had always existed but were ignored for years.
Many held licences for over a decade, doing nothing and failing to pay their annual service fees. That kind of impunity cannot continue under our watch,” the minister said.
Alake likened the regulatory principle to the certificate of occupancy in land law, where failure to develop a property within a stipulated time results in automatic forfeiture.
“Anywhere in the world, when you are given a certificate of occupancy, you are expected to develop the land within a specified time or lose it. It’s the same principle in mining,” he added.
According to Alake, some defaulting firms have even threatened international arbitration despite their violation of Nigerian laws, a move he described as both “laughable and desperate.”
“One company that hasn’t paid service fees for years is threatening international arbitration. I want to see the international judge who will rule in favour of a firm that violated our local laws,” he said pointedly.
He acknowledged that the backlash and threats were the “price of reform,” but maintained that the government would not be intimidated into halting the cleanup of the industry.
“The strengthening of these regulations has come with a price. But we are waging this battle on principle, not personality. We cannot continue doing things the same way and expect different results,” Alake stressed.
The minister’s decision to increase his personal security detail comes amid President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive limiting ministers and senior officials to a maximum of five security personnel and three-vehicle convoys as part of federal cost-cutting and efficiency measures.
However, sources close to the ministry told News Point Nigeria that the nature of the threats against Alake justified the exceptional measure, especially given the potential involvement of powerful actors angered by the revocations.
Despite the turbulence, Alake reaffirmed that the administration remains committed to creating a transparent, secure, and investor-friendly mining environment that attracts genuine operators while eliminating rent-seekers and speculators.
“We are not against investors; we welcome genuine ones. It is from profitable investments that the government can generate revenue through royalties, taxes, and service fees. But that doesn’t mean we’ll indulge defaulters who repeatedly flout the law,” he said.
He disclosed that the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) has been fully empowered to monitor compliance and ensure strict enforcement of all statutory obligations.
“The days of free-riding are over. The only path forward for the solid minerals sector is discipline, accountability, and transparency,” Alake concluded.