Troops arrest six suspected illegal miners, seize 5,000 bags of ilmenite sand in Bayelsa
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Joint Task Force South South, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), have arrested six suspected illegal miners and intercepted a large wooden boat conveying about 5,000 bags of illegally mined ilmenite sand in Bayelsa State.
The suspects were apprehended at about 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2026, when troops of 343 Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion deployed at Tamogbene in Ekeremor Local Government Area intercepted the locally made wooden boat.
Security sources said the troops, acting on operational information, stopped the vessel and discovered the mineral-laden bags being transported from the area.
Six persons suspected to be involved in the illegal mining and transportation of the mineral resources were arrested during the operation.
The suspects, alongside the recovered boat and the 5,000 bags of suspected illegally mined ilmenite sand, have been taken into military custody for further investigation and appropriate action.
The operation forms part of ongoing efforts by security forces in the Niger Delta to tackle illegal mining and other activities considered detrimental to the region’s natural resources and security environment.
The latest arrest underscores the continued military focus on disrupting illicit economic activities and the movement of illegally extracted mineral resources through waterways in the South-South region.
