EFCC Links Illegal Mining to Insecurity, Organised Crime, Vows to Target Financiers

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has vowed to intensify its crackdown on illegal mining by targeting financiers, mineral buyers, compromised public officials and other individuals allegedly benefiting from the theft of Nigeria’s mineral resources.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said illegal mining was sustained by sophisticated criminal networks involving local and international players, warning that arresting miners at excavation sites alone would not resolve the problem.

Olukoyede made the remarks on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, while delivering a keynote address at a public lecture and capacity-building workshop organised by the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies and the Human and Environmental Development Agenda in Ilorin, Kwara State.

He explained that illegal mining involved multiple actors, including those who financed operations, transported minerals, facilitated documentation, purchased illegally extracted resources and provided protection for the activities.

According to him, the commission’s enforcement strategy would focus on dismantling these networks by tracing financial transactions, identifying beneficiaries and recovering assets linked to suspected criminal activities.

The EFCC chairman disclosed that the commission recorded 52 illegal mining cases between October 2023 and July 2026 and secured the forfeiture of 102 tonnes of solid minerals during the period.

He linked illegal mining to Nigeria’s security challenges, warning that unregulated mineral extraction and trading created opportunities for extortion, smuggling, violence and territorial disputes.

Olukoyede said criminal interests could take control of economic activities in communities, with consequences extending beyond lost government revenue to threats against public safety and local stability.

He also warned public officials against abusing their positions to facilitate illegal mining, manipulate licences or conceal proceeds from mineral theft, saying those implicated would face investigation and possible prosecution.

The EFCC chairman clarified that the commission was not responsible for issuing mining licences or regulating the mining sector. Rather, its role involved investigating suspected corruption, fraud, money laundering, illicit financial flows and proceeds of criminal activities.

He called for stronger cooperation among mining regulators, financial intelligence institutions, law enforcement agencies, customs authorities and revenue agencies to improve intelligence sharing and coordinated investigations.

Olukoyede also urged traditional rulers, community associations, youth groups, civil society organisations and local leaders to establish channels for reporting suspicious mining activities.

He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to tracing illicit proceeds, recovering criminal assets and prosecuting suspects where sufficient evidence exists, stressing that Nigeria’s mineral wealth must benefit its citizens rather than criminal networks.