By Nkechi Eze
The Commander of the Mining Marshals, ACC Attah John Onoja, has warned that illegal mining activities are providing critical financial and logistical support to banditry and other criminal networks, stressing that securing Nigeria’s mineral resources is key to weakening the financing channels of terrorism.
Onoja made the submission at the just-concluded 4th Nigerian Nation Builders Annual Conference held at the Army Resource Centre, Abuja, where he highlighted the growing nexus between illegal mining and insecurity across the country.
He explained that criminal groups were increasingly exploiting illegal mining sites and the resources generated from them to sustain their operations, creating criminal enclaves where illegal economic activities and insecurity reinforce each other.
According to him, the challenge posed by illegal mining therefore goes beyond the loss of government revenue and environmental degradation, as the proceeds can serve as a source of funding and logistical support for armed criminal groups.
Onoja stressed that efforts to sanitise the mining sector must consequently be viewed as a strategic national security intervention rather than solely a regulatory responsibility.
He said effective control of mining activities would help disrupt the financial ecosystem sustaining terrorism, banditry and other forms of organised criminality.
The Mining Marshals Commander noted that denying criminal networks access to mineral resources and the revenue generated from illegal exploitation would significantly weaken their operational capacity and reduce the resources available to sustain insecurity.
He therefore called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, mining regulators, host communities and other stakeholders to secure mining sites and ensure that Nigeria’s mineral wealth is channelled into legitimate economic development.
Onoja emphasised that protecting the nation’s mineral resources was essential to strengthening national security, describing mineral security as a critical component of the broader fight against terrorism and organised crime.
He said concerted efforts to tackle illegal mining would not only protect the environment and government revenue but also help cut off what he described as the “financial oxygen” sustaining criminal activities.
The conference provided a platform for stakeholders to examine critical national development and security issues, with Onoja’s presentation highlighting the need to approach mineral resource management from both an economic and national security perspective.
