The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has urged stronger cooperation with Nigeria’s Mining Marshals to tackle the growing connection between illegal mining, organised crime and terrorism.
The call was made during a strategic engagement between a UNODC delegation and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals, where officials commended the specialised unit for its efforts to curb illegal mining and associated criminal activities.
The development was disclosed on Monday in Abuja by the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Attah.
The UNODC delegation, led by the Chief of the Africa Section of the Terrorism Prevention Branch, Tullio Santini, praised the corps for its enforcement operations and increasing number of arrests and prosecutions.
Santini said the rising number of cases handled by the Mining Marshals demonstrated Nigeria’s determination to confront the illicit exploitation of mineral resources.
The engagement formed part of a wider UNODC mission aimed at strengthening partnerships with Nigerian authorities and development partners while reviewing ongoing field operations.
A key issue discussed was the UNODC’s Coordination through Operational Networks against the Crime-Terrorism Nexus initiative, known as CONNECT.
The initiative was presented by Swedish Police law enforcement expert Robert Haslinger and is designed to improve cooperation between governments and security agencies in disrupting the financial and operational relationships between organised criminal groups and terrorist organisations.
Nigeria is among the countries invited to participate in the initiative, which is scheduled for launch in November 2026.
Attah, who represented the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof Ahmed Audi, welcomed the UNODC delegation and described the organisation as an important partner in strengthening the operational capacity of the Mining Marshals.
He noted that previous UNODC-supported training had improved cooperation between the Mining Marshals and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, particularly in intelligence sharing and investigations targeting illegal mining networks.
According to him, the Mining Marshals occupy a strategic position in Nigeria’s security architecture, with responsibilities spanning the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the NSCDC.
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While the unit’s primary responsibility is to combat illegal mining, Attah said its officers could also support wider national security operations when necessary.
He called for the formal inclusion of the Mining Marshals in the CONNECT Initiative, stressing that greater attention must be given to the exploitation of mineral resources as a potential source of funding for terrorist organisations.
Attah further advocated additional training in terrorism-related issues, regional intelligence cooperation and peer-learning programmes to prepare officers for emerging threats linked to illegal mining.
He said the increasing relationship between illegal mining and terrorism had become a significant national security concern and was partly responsible for the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms in the mining sector.
The UNODC officials, in response, praised the structure of the Mining Marshals, describing it as a distinctive model within Nigeria’s law enforcement system.
They highlighted the unit’s broad responsibilities, which cover intelligence gathering, prevention, arrests, investigations and prosecution of illegal mining-related offences.
The officials also commended the use of non-kinetic approaches, including community engagement and stakeholder consultations, in efforts to address illegal mining.
The meeting ended with renewed commitments from both sides to deepen cooperation and strengthen efforts to disrupt the growing convergence of illegal resource exploitation, organised crime and terrorism in Nigeria and the wider West African and Sahel regions.