FG, UNODC partner to tackle terrorist financing, illegal mining

The Federal Government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have partnered to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against terrorist financing and illicit financial flows linked to the solid minerals sector.

The project, funded by the Canadian government, aims to boost the capacity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system to detect, investigate, and prosecute financial crimes related to conflict financing, money laundering, and the funding of armed groups through illegal mining.

UNODC’s Project Coordinator on Counter-Terrorism, Tom Parker, who led a delegation to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, commended the creation of the Mining Marshals and pledged support for the ministry’s efforts to tackle illegal mining.

Parker, accompanied by project officers Inneke Geysens-Bourgions and Nicole Andersen, said the agency would collaborate closely with the ministry to implement the project effectively.

In his remarks, Dr. Alake expressed confidence that the partnership would bolster the federal government’s efforts to dismantle the financial networks sustaining illegal mining and related crimes.

He explained that the Mining Marshals, drawn from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were established to overcome constitutional challenges that could arise from creating a new security agency.

“The Mining Marshals have been effective in arresting and prosecuting illegal miners, sending a clear message that it’s no longer business as usual,” Alake stated, adding that their success has prompted many operators to seek legal compliance.

The minister further revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved a satellite monitoring system to track illegal mining activities in real time, allowing security operatives to swiftly deploy to affected sites and disrupt criminal operations.