EFCC links illegal mining to insecurity, vows to target financiers

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has identified illegal mining and the theft of mineral resources as major drivers of rising insecurity and organised crime in Nigeria.

The anti-graft agency warned that criminal syndicates are exploiting regulatory weaknesses within the solid minerals sector to finance criminal enterprises.

Between October 2023 and July 2026, the commission recorded 52 illegal mining cases and secured the final forfeiture of 102 tonnes of solid minerals.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed these figures on Tuesday during a capacity-building workshop organised by the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The EFCC Chairman stated that efforts to tackle the menace must go beyond arresting labourers at illegal extraction sites to dismantle the complex networks of financiers, mineral buyers, and compromised public officials.  

He explained that the commission is also tracing illicit financial flows to identify the main beneficiaries of the resource theft.

“There is a close connection between resource theft and insecurity. From an enforcement perspective, any economic activity that operates substantially outside regulation creates opportunities for criminal interests. They can include extortion, smuggling, violence, competition over territory and the financing of other forms of criminality. A serious enforcement strategy must move from the pit to the purse”.

Olukoyede clarified that while the EFCC does not issue mining licences or regulate the sector, its statutory intervention focuses only on suspected corruption, fraud, money laundering, and criminal proceeds.

He revealed that proceeds from illegally extracted minerals inevitably enter the financial system through bank payments, business transactions, and asset acquisitions.

The EFCC boss issued a stern warning to public officials manipulating licences or facilitating illicit operations, stating that the agency will not spare anyone found culpable.

He also called for inter-agency collaboration among mining regulators, financial intelligence institutions, law enforcement, customs authorities, and revenue agencies to coordinate investigations and improve intelligence sharing.

He urged the host communities, traditional institutions, organised labour, and civil society organisations to report suspicious activities, adding that Nigeria’s mineral wealth must translate into economic prosperity for citizens, rather than serving as a funding pipeline for organised crime.