UNODC and Nigeria's Mining Marshals partner to combat illegal mining and terror financing
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC has called for increased collaboration with Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC Mining Marshals to address the growing links between illegal mining, organized crime, and terrorism across Nigeria, West Africa, and the Sahel. During a visit to the Mining Marshals Corps, a UNODC delegation, led by Tullio Santini, Chief of the Africa Section of the Terrorism Prevention Branch, commended the unit's efforts in tackling illegal mining. Assistant Commandant of Corps John Attah, Commander of the Mining Marshals, highlighted that previous UNODC-supported training has improved collaboration with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit. The visit also introduced the UNODC Coordination through Operational Networks against the Crime-Terrorism Nexus CONNECT Initiative, designed to strengthen cooperation among governments and law enforcement agencies in disrupting financial and operational links between criminal networks and terrorist groups. Nigeria is invited to participate in this initiative, scheduled for launch in November 2026. Attah advocated for the formal inclusion of the Mining Marshals in the CONNECT Initiative, emphasizing the importance of addressing the illegal exploitation of mineral resources to disrupt the financial foundations of terrorist organizations. He also called for expanded capacity-building programs for the Marshals, covering terrorism-related concepts and regional intelligence cooperation. UNODC offici
