The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called for stronger collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mining Marshals, amid concerns over the links between illegal mining, organised crime and terrorism.
The call was made during a strategic visit by a UNODC delegation to the Mining Marshals Corps, where the agency commended the unit for its efforts in tackling illegal mining and related criminal activities.
This was disclosed in statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps, John Attah.
The delegation, led by the Chief of the Africa Section of the Terrorism Prevention Branch, Tullio Santini, praised the Marshals for their enforcement efforts.
Santini said the rising number of arrests and prosecutions demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to tackling illicit mining.
A major focus of the meeting was the proposed Coordination through Operational Networks against the Crime-Terrorism Nexus, CONNECT, Initiative, presented by Swedish Police law enforcement expert, Robert Haslinger.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening cooperation among governments and law enforcement agencies to disrupt the financial and operational links between organised criminal groups and terrorist organisations.
Nigeria is among the countries invited to participate in the initiative, which is scheduled for launch in November 2026.
Responding, Attah, who represented the NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof Ahmed Audi, described UNODC as a critical partner in strengthening the operational capacity of the Mining Marshals.
He said previous UNODC-supported training programmes had improved collaboration between the Mining Marshals and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, particularly in intelligence-led investigations against illegal mining syndicates.
Attah also advocated for the formal inclusion of the Mining Marshals in the CONNECT Initiative, stressing that greater attention was needed to disrupt the financial proceeds from the illegal exploitation of mineral resources.
He said the growing connection between illegal mining and terrorism had become a major national security concern and partly informed the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms in the mining sector.
The Mining Marshals commander further called for expanded training in terrorism-related issues, regional intelligence sharing and peer-learning opportunities to strengthen the unit’s response to emerging threats.
The UNODC officials commended the structure and broad operational mandate of the Mining Marshals, noting their involvement in intelligence gathering, prevention, arrest, investigation and prosecution of illegal mining cases.
They also highlighted the unit’s use of non-kinetic approaches, including community engagement and stakeholder outreach, in tackling illegal mining.
The meeting ended with an exchange of publications and renewed commitments to strengthen cooperation against the growing links between resource-related crime and terrorism in Nigeria and the wider region.
