Troops Intercept Boat Carrying 5,000 Bags of Suspected Illegal Mineral in Bayelsa

(Suspected Illegal Miners. Photo by FB/NigerDelta Insider)

Troops of Operation Delta Safe have captured around 5,000 bags of what is believed to be illegally mined ilmenite sand and arrested six suspected illegal miners in Bayelsa State.

The arrest happened at about 4:45 p.m. on September 13, 2026, when soldiers from the 343 Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, based in Tamogbene in Ekeremor Local Government Area, stopped a wooden boat carrying the mineral.

Acting on intelligence, the troops halted the boat and found the bags of ilmenite sand.

Six people suspected of involvement in the illegal mining and transport of the mineral were captured during the operation.

The operation was meant to stop illegal mining and prevent illegally extracted minerals from being moved through waterways in the Niger Delta.

The suspects, the boat and the recovered bags of suspected illegally mined ilmenite sand have been kept by the military for further investigation.