Mining Marshals Seek International Support To Combat Illegal Mining, Terror Financing

The Mining Marshals Corps (MMC) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has called for deeper collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Canadian government in tackling illegal mining, illicit financial flows and terrorism financing linked to Nigeria’s mineral sector.

The call was made during a visit by officials of the UNODC and donor partners from Canada to the headquarters of the NSCDC in Abuja, where the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Attah John Onoja, spoke on behalf of the Commandant General of the Corps, Abubakar Ahmed Audi.

Speaking during the engagement, Onoja said illegal mining had evolved beyond an economic offence into a grave national security threat requiring intelligence-driven and coordinated enforcement measures.

He expressed appreciation for the ongoing partnership under the project, “Strengthening Nigeria’s Response to Criminal and Terrorist Finance related to Minerals,” noting that the collaboration had continued to improve the operational and investigative capacity of personnel combating mineral-related crimes across the country.

Officials present at the meeting included Tom Parker, who oversees counter-terrorism initiatives and strategic coordination under the UN agency’s security and criminal justice interventions; and Princess Chifiero, responsible for programme implementation and stakeholder coordination in Nigeria.

Also, in attendance were Wilma E. Endamne and Nikkolai Valverde-Yetman visiting from Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.

The Mining Marshals Corps, a specialised unit within the NSCDC established to secure Nigeria’s mineral resources and enforce mining regulations, explained that its operational structure comprises Field Operations Units deployed to mining hotspots, Intelligence and Surveillance Units responsible for monitoring illegal activities and gathering actionable intelligence, Enforcement and Compliance Units supporting arrests, and legal unit responsable for legal services/prosecutions, as well as Community Liaison Units engaging host communities to discourage illegal mining practices.

According to Onoja, the mandate of the Corps includes but not limited to safeguarding mineral resources, preventing illegal mining as well as prosecution of offenders involved in illicit mineral exploitation.

The MMC disclosed that its initial engagement with the UNODC commenced in 2025 through training needs assessments and consultations supported by Global Affairs Canada to identify critical areas of cooperation. It added that the Corps had also actively participated in the Technical Working Group coordinated by the National Counter Terrorism Centre by providing field intelligence and operational insights on illegal mining activities.

The Corps further revealed that no fewer than 21 officers benefitted from the Foundational Terrorism Financing Investigations Training organised for NSCDC Mining Marshals in November 2025, describing the intervention as critical in strengthening investigations into organised crime, terrorism financing and supply chain vulnerabilities associated with illegal mining operations.

It noted that specialised units had since been deployed to illegal mining hotspots, particularly across the North-West and North-Central regions, while joint operations with relevant agencies had led to the dismantling of several illegal mining camps and the arrest of suspects involved in unlawful mineral extraction.

The Corps also said it had intensified intelligence gathering through surveillance operations and community engagement initiatives while supporting prosecution processes by providing operational evidence obtained from field activities.

Speaking during the engagement, Ms. Endamne expressed admiration for the efforts and commitment demonstrated by the Mining Marshals Corps in combating illegal mining activities across the country.

She reportedly described the Corps’ operational drive and determination as encouraging, especially in the broader context of disrupting criminal networks and illicit financial flows linked to the solid minerals sector.

Parker, on his part, commended the efforts of the Mining Marshals Corps and reaffirmed the commitment of the UNODC to supporting the Corps’ operations and institutional development within available resources.

Calling for enhanced international support, the Mining Marshals urged the UNODC and Canada to provide advanced technical assistance in intelligence analysis and integration of enforcement data into broader financial crime investigations.

The Corps stressed the need for additional operational support in the areas of training, equipment provision and exposure to international best practices, especially in combating cross-border smuggling networks and transnational criminal syndicates exploiting Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.

Reaffirming its commitment to protecting the nation’s mineral wealth, the Corps pledged continued collaboration with the UNODC and Canada towards building stronger enforcement mechanisms, intelligence-led operations and coordinated strategies capable of addressing illegal mining and related criminal financing activities in Nigeria.