Mineral theft should be declared an international crime, says President Tinubu

‎President Bola Tinubu urged African leaders to unite and recognize the theft of the continent’s mineral resources as an international crime, citing its damage to regional peace and development.
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‎He made the appeal on Tuesday at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja during the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) Annual General Meeting.
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‎Addressing security challenges linked to illegal mining, particularly in Nigeria’s northern states, Tinubu stressed the urgent need for regional cooperation to curb illicit activities that fuel insecurity.
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‎Minerals worth billions of dollars are smuggled out annually, depriving governments of vital revenue. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) reports exposes the scale of unregulated mineral outflows across West Africa.Tinubu explained that stolen mineral profits not only strip citizens of development benefits but also finance the proliferation of small arms, banditry, and kidnapping that plague the region.
‎President Tinubu called for a united front to designate resource theft as a serious crime demanding global attention.
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‎He further encouraged NACIWA delegates to critically examine anti-money laundering frameworks and financial intelligence sharing to improve accountability in the extractive sector.
He stressed that the battle against illicit financial flows requires a cooperative, multi-country approach to secure West Africa’s future.
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