President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to recognise the illegal extraction and smuggling of mineral resources as an international crime.
Speaking on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at the 7th Annual General Assembly of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) in Abuja, Tinubu described illicit mining and resource theft as a growing threat to economic stability and peace across the continent.
He noted that billions of dollars are lost annually to smuggling, corruption, and illegal trade, which fuel insecurity, kidnapping, and banditry in Africa.
“The time has come for ECOWAS to designate resource theft, illegal mining, and the stealing of minerals as international crimes that threaten the stability of the region,” Tinubu said.
“We must galvanize the world against the trade in stolen minerals from West Africa.”
The President urged stronger regional and international legal frameworks to combat illegal mining and ensure the recovery of stolen assets.
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He also emphasised transparency in the use of recovered funds, highlighting that Nigeria has channelled over ₦100 billion from recovered proceeds into social intervention projects, including the Student Loan Scheme and the Consumer Credit Scheme.
“No single nation can confront this challenge alone. We must work together and hold accountable those who profit illegally from our collective resources,” Tinubu added.
He further appealed for global support in establishing a convention against resource theft, similar to existing international laws addressing drug and human trafficking.