The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has opened a new front in the fight against terrorism and organised crime in West Africa, seeking deeper collaboration with Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals to choke off funds generated through illegal mining.

During a strategic visit to the specialised unit in Abuja, a UNODC delegation praised the Mining Marshals for their expanding role in confronting illicit mineral exploitation, which security experts increasingly link to armed groups and criminal syndicates across Nigeria, the wider West African region and the Sahel.

The delegation was led by Tullio Santini, Chief of the Africa Section of UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch, who noted that the growing number of arrests and prosecutions for illegal mining offences reflects Nigeria’s determination to curb the trade and its security implications.

The mission formed part of UNODC’s broader effort to strengthen operational partnerships in Nigeria, engage development partners and assess field activities targeting the crime-terrorism nexus.

A central feature of the discussions was the presentation of UNODC’s Coordination through Operational Networks against the Crime-Terrorism Nexus, known as the CONNECT Initiative. Introduced by Swedish police law-enforcement expert Robert Haslinger, the programme aims to enhance cooperation among governments, financial intelligence units and security agencies to disrupt the financial and logistical pipelines linking organised crime and terrorist organisations.

Nigeria has been invited to join the initiative, which will bring together countries facing similar threats from resource-driven criminality and extremist violence.

Responding on behalf of NSCDC Commandant-General Ahmed Audi, Mining Marshals Commander, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Attah, described UNODC as a critical partner in building the unit’s capacity. He said previous UNODC-backed training had significantly improved coordination between the Mining Marshals and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, enabling more effective, intelligence-led operations against illegal mining syndicates.

Attah stressed that the Mining Marshals occupy a unique position in Nigeria’s security architecture, reporting to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the NSCDC. While their core mandate is to suppress illegal mining, they also support broader national security operations when required.

He urged UNODC to formally integrate the Mining Marshals into the CONNECT Initiative, arguing that any serious attempt to cut off terrorist financing must address the illegal exploitation of mineral resources.

UNODC officials commended the unit’s institutional structure and broad mandate, which covers intelligence gathering, prevention, arrest, investigation and prosecution, as well as non-kinetic approaches such as community engagement and stakeholder outreach.

Both sides closed the meeting with renewed commitments to deepen cooperation against the convergence of resource-related crime, organised criminality and terrorism in Nigeria and the wider region.