Nigeria’s mining sector like others across the globe has become the hotbed of terrorism and banditry.
Illegal mining and terrorism are two crimes that have become inextricably linked, fueling each other in a deadly cycle of violence and exploitation.
Like two sides of the same coin, they feed off each other’s existence, with illegal mining providing the financial lifeline that sustains terrorist activities, and terrorism offering the muscle and intimidation that protects illegal mining operations
Across the country’s landscape, illegal mining has continued unabated, defying the established order while carting away billions of resources belonging to the people, from gold to lithium to oil and other natural gems.
In effect, what ordinarily should have been a blessing has thus become a curse, threatening the stability and security of their host communities.
Largely, efforts by the government have been underwhelming in curbing the excesses of illegal miners, underscoring the scale and complexity of the tinderbox.
Perhaps, for Nigeria and some of her neighbours, terrorism stands as a common foe, threatening not just territorial integrity but causing death and destruction.
However, the intricate connection between illegal mining and terrorism has made the fight against the two separate but mutually reinforcing entities delicate and fraught.
Tinubu connects the dots
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day African High-Level Meeting on Counter-terrorism, hosted by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu noted that it is the money from other places that have been fueling illegal mining in Africa, which has turned into funding terrorism.
“While we seek to address the root causes of terrorism,” the President stated, “we must also attack the roots that feed this evil branch.” “Look at the illegal mining that plagues so many of our nations today. Those who think illegal mining has no connection with financing terrorism are sorely mistaken,” he emphasized.
Mining To Terrorism – An International Collaboration
A Premium Times investigation revealed that terrorists are into mining to diversify sources of income to continue financing terrorism activities. The paper went on to chronicle the activities of Halilu Sububu, one of the most feared terrorists in Nigeria’s Northwest region, and documented his many atrocities.
A British national daily, The Times, also found that “Chinese companies working in parts of Nigeria where attacks are frequent have been striking security deals with insurgents.”
“Attacks on Chinese citizens, of whom there are said to be between 100,000 and 200,000 in Nigeria, have become regular occurrences in recent years amid the country’s many conflicts,” the report said.
The paper added, “Research shared with The Times from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based analytical group, has revealed videos on social media and WhatsApp of militant leaders boasting that they are so powerful that Chinese workers wishing to operate in their areas must pay them ‘rent.’ They have taken over swathes of northwest Nigeria, turning the region into the country’s bloodiest conflict zone.
‘Mad Rush For Gold’
Vanguard newspaper investigation also reveals the link between illegal mining and banditry.
“Every state in the country is blessed with God-given resources such as gold, coal, zinc, limestone, phosphate, uranium among others, but what should be a benefit to the generality of the people is being exploited by few persons,” the report noted.
From Zamfara to Benue, Nasarawa, Benue, Bauchi, and other states, the paper states that the story is the same of how illegal miners have caused destruction and devastation to the host communities.
In Zamfara, the mad rush for gold has turned the state into a battleground of sorts. Often illegally exploited and stolen due to the absence of a regulatory framework, as in the oil industry, the rush for gold has turned the otherwise calm state into a bedlam of violence.
A Wave of Arrest
The report concluded by noting that illegal miners from China were once arrested in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna for alleged illegal mining activities at the Tsonge government reserve, similar to the scenario in Osun state, where 27 persons were arrested for illegal mining of gold, with 17 Chinese nationals.
No Longer At Ease
The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Ogbonnaya Orji, once lamented the lack of transparency in the governance of solid minerals in the country – similar to the outcry of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake.
He also said insecurity and lack of regulation are some of the issues affecting the mining industry. Unless Nigeria comes up with legal and regulatory frameworks on mining, experts noted, it will continue to experience violent extremism and destruction. Plus, only a comprehensive and collective approach can stem the tide of both terrorism and illegal mining.
As the country struggles to contain the menace of terrorism, it is clear that tackling illegal mining is a critical step towards severing the financial arteries that sustain this evil enterprise.
