The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has warned that illegal mining in Nigeria is increasingly linked to organised crime, terrorism and insecurity across West Africa.
The UN agency disclosed this in a statement on Monday, August 17, following a meeting between its officials and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mining Marshals.
The delegation was led by Tullio Santini, Chief of the Africa Section of the Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) at UNODC.
Santini described the NSCDC Mining Marshals’ enforcement unit as a critical component in efforts to tackle illegal mining and its wider security implications in Nigeria.
Discussions at the meeting focused on the UNODC Crime-Terrorism Nexus Initiative, led by Robert Haslinger, a law enforcement expert from the Swedish Police.
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According to UNODC, the initiative provides a strategic framework for strengthening cooperation between governments and law enforcement agencies to dismantle the financial and operational connections between organised criminal networks and terrorist groups.
The agency said the approach was particularly relevant to illegal mining, which can generate illicit revenue and provide financial channels for criminal and terrorist organisations.
Speaking on behalf of NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commander John Onoja Attah said UNODC remained important to Nigeria’s efforts to combat illegal mining.
Attah also highlighted the impact of previous UNODC-supported training programmes, saying they had strengthened cooperation between the Mining Marshals and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
He said the improved collaboration had enhanced efforts to track and disrupt the financial dimensions of illegal mining and related criminal activities.
The engagement underscores growing efforts by Nigerian authorities and international partners to treat illegal mining not only as an environmental and economic problem, but also as a potential driver of organised crime and insecurity in the region.