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The Mining Marshals have defended the continued closure of the Stone Rockers Nigeria Limited quarry in Abuja, saying the site remains central to an ongoing criminal case before the Federal High Court.

The agency’s position followed a recent petition by Stone Rockers to President Bola Tinubu and other government officials over the closure of its operations, which the company said had lasted about 13 months.

Stone Rockers had alleged that the shutdown was unlawful and not backed by a court order.

But the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah, said the quarry was not sealed as an administrative penalty. Rather, he said, it remained the scene connected to the alleged offence for which Stone Rockers and its director, Kolawole Olaiya, are being prosecuted.

The defendants are standing trial in Charge No. FHC/ABM/VR/338/2026 over allegations of illegal mining within a mineral title area said to belong to Lord’s Career Ventures Nigeria Limited.

According to the Commander, the case followed investigations into petitions submitted by the complainant over a period of more than one year.

He said the petitions were referred to the Mining Marshals by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and the Minister of Interior through the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for investigation and prosecution.

The Commander said investigators arrested the defendants at coordinates identified as longitude 7°17’24″E and latitude 8°52’11″N.

He said the Mining Marshals’ investigation established that the coordinates fell within Mining Lease No. 000395 ML, which belongs to Lord’s Career Ventures.

The agency cited a letter dated January 23, 2026 from the Mining Cadastre Office as part of the material supporting its position. According to the Commander, the letter confirmed that the disputed coordinates were located within the licensed mining area of the complainant.

The Mining Marshals also said correspondence generated during the investigation would form part of the evidence before the court.

The Commander specifically referred to a letter dated August 12, 2025, allegedly written by Mohammed Olanrewaju Jibril, a member of the defence team, on the instructions of the defendants.

He claimed that the correspondence contained statements relevant to the allegations against the defendants.

The Commander said the prosecution had assembled substantial documentary evidence and maintained that the case should be determined through the judicial process.

He also questioned the decision to seek administrative intervention while criminal and civil proceedings relating to the dispute were still before the courts.

“The issues raised by the defendants are already the subject of judicial proceedings,” he said, cautioning against actions that could interfere with or prejudice the cases.

The Mining Marshals further alleged that the defendants had pursued what it described as extrajudicial avenues to frustrate the prosecution.

The Commander said the latest petition to the President should be viewed in that context, while also alleging that previous petitions had been directed against him at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

He denied that such actions would affect the agency’s handling of the case.

“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 agency also addressed the status of workers who were arrested during the initial enforcement operation.

According to the Mining Marshals, prosecutors had amended the charge to remove the workers from the case after determining that they were employees acting for a disclosed principal and might not have possessed the criminal intent required for prosecution.

The agency said that position was now under review following subsequent developments, including the participation of some of the workers in protests over the continued closure of the quarry.

The Commander said prosecutors had been directed to consider whether the workers should be brought back into the proceedings if further evidence established their involvement in the alleged illegal mining activities.

The Mining Marshals also rejected suggestions that the enforcement operation was motivated by financial inducement.

The agency said Lord’s Career Ventures had complained repeatedly about financial losses allegedly resulting from its inability to commence mining operations because of the disputed activities.

However, the Commander said the company had not provided financial support or logistics to the Mining Marshals for the operation that led to the arrests.

He maintained that the enforcement action was based on evidence gathered during the investigation and was not influenced by the financial circumstances of either party.

The Commander urged media organisations to apply appropriate verification and editorial scrutiny when reporting disputes involving mining operations and ongoing court cases.

He said the media had an important role to play in the Federal Government’s efforts to reform the solid minerals sector and promote lawful mining.

The dispute between Stone Rockers and Lord’s Career Ventures has produced competing accounts over the ownership and use of the disputed mining area and the legality of the quarry’s closure.

Stone Rockers maintains that the prolonged shutdown of its operations is unlawful, while the Mining Marshals contend that the site is connected to allegations currently before the court.

With the matter now subject to judicial proceedings, the legal questions surrounding the disputed mining title, the alleged activities at the site and the continued closure of the quarry remain for the relevant courts to determine.