KEY POINTS
- The UNODC has linked illegal mining in Nigeria to organised crime, terrorism and insecurity across West Africa.
- Its delegation met the NSCDC Mining Marshals and backed an initiative to break crime-terror financial ties.
- Nigeria’s Mining Marshals called the UNODC a critical partner, citing improved work with the financial intelligence unit.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has linked illegal mining in Nigeria to organised crime, terrorism and insecurity across West Africa.
The agency disclosed the link in a statement after Tullio Santini, who heads the Africa Section of its Terrorism Prevention Branch, led a delegation to meet the NSCDC Mining Marshals. Moreover, Santini said the Mining Marshals’ enforcement unit plays a critical role in combating illegal mining.
Targeting the crime-terror link
According to the UNODC, the talks centred on an initiative that Robert Haslinger, a law enforcement expert from the Swedish Police, presented to strengthen cooperation among governments and agencies. Furthermore, the framework aims to dismantle the financial and operational ties between organised criminal networks and terrorist groups, which the agency treats as increasingly intertwined.
Still, the visit reached beyond a single meeting. The UNODC said it forms part of a wider mission to deepen partnerships across Nigeria, engage development partners and review ongoing field operations. Therefore, the agency framed the Mining Marshals as a frontline unit in choking off the money that flows from illegal mining to armed groups.
Nigeria welcomes the partnership
Speaking for the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, the Mining Marshals commander, John Onoja Attah, welcomed the delegation and called the UNODC a critical partner. Consequently, he said earlier UNODC-backed training had sharpened collaboration between the Mining Marshals and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, which tracks suspicious money flows.
Because illegal mining feeds both crime and conflict, the officials cast tighter enforcement and better financial tracking as essential. In addition, Attah said the partnership would strengthen the unit’s operational capabilities as it confronts a threat that spans several West African states. He added that closer work with financial investigators would help the marshals follow the proceeds rather than only seize equipment. The two sides pledged to keep working together on the campaign.
