Fresh concerns have emerged over the role of illegal mining in Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, following a detailed commentary by renowned journalist and political analyst, Farooq A. Kperogi, who alleged that some Chinese-linked mining operators and their local collaborators may be indirectly financing terrorism and banditry across parts of the country.
In the article, Kperogi argued that illegal mining has become one of the hidden drivers of violence, especially in mineral-rich communities where armed groups allegedly extort operators and control access to mining sites.
According to him, the issue goes beyond ordinary criminality, as proceeds from illegal mining activities are believed to be feeding a wider network involving bandits, foreign buyers, corrupt officials and criminal middlemen.
The commentator credited Professor Tade Aina, Senior Programs Director at the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, for drawing his attention to the connection between insecurity and mining activities during an African Studies Association conference in Atlanta.
Kperogi, however, noted that illegal mining is not the only cause of Nigeria’s insecurity. He listed rural poverty, weak governance, climate pressures, arms trafficking and the collapse of local economies among other factors responsible for the crisis.
He referenced earlier security studies which claimed that collaboration between politically connected Nigerians and some foreign mining interests had contributed to violent conflicts in parts of the North-West, North-Central and South-West.
The article also highlighted findings from previous investigations which alleged that some mining operators working in areas affected by insurgency and banditry paid huge sums to armed groups to guarantee access to mining locations.
According to the report, some local miners claimed that terrorists imposed heavy levies before allowing mining activities to continue, while others allegedly received weekly payments from operators.
Kperogi described the development as a dangerous situation where criminal groups have effectively created their own taxation system in territories under their influence.
He further argued that while villagers struggle to farm or move freely because of insecurity, mining operations often continue uninterrupted, raising questions about the relationship between armed groups and some operators.
The analyst also referred to recent reports on Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, which suggested that illegal trading networks involving foreign buyers, shell companies and armed criminal groups were depriving the country of huge revenues.
Some of the reports alleged that foreign buyers, particularly Chinese actors, wield significant influence over mineral pricing and export channels, while illegal mining remains widespread in areas troubled by terrorism and banditry.
For balance, Kperogi acknowledged that the Chinese government has consistently denied allegations linking its nationals or companies to the funding of terrorism through mining operations.
The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria previously described such claims as “completely baseless” and insisted that it maintains zero tolerance for illegal mining by Chinese companies.
The commentator stressed that the problem should not be viewed as an attack on China as a country but as part of a larger criminal economy involving foreign interests, local collaborators and powerful networks benefiting from weak regulation.
He called on the Federal Government to classify illegal mining as a national security emergency and intensify efforts to identify those behind mining licences, mineral exports and financial transactions connected to the sector.
Among his recommendations were the publication of beneficial ownership records for mining licences, stricter monitoring of mineral exports, prosecution of corrupt officials and stronger diplomatic engagement with countries whose nationals are repeatedly implicated in illegal mining cases.
He also urged security agencies to focus not only on artisanal miners but on financiers, exporters and other powerful figures allegedly profiting from the illicit trade.
According to Kperogi, Nigeria’s abundant mineral resources should serve as a source of national development rather than a means of financing violence.
He argued that unless the economic networks sustaining insecurity are dismantled, military operations alone may not be enough to end terrorism and banditry.
