October 15, (THEWILL) — President Bola Tinubu has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to designate the illegal extraction and smuggling of mineral resources as an international crime.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, at the 7th Annual General Assembly of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) on Tuesday, Tinubu described illicit mining and resource theft as major threats to economic stability and peace across Africa.
He lamented that billions of dollars are lost annually to smuggling, corruption, and illegal trade, which continue to fuel insecurity, kidnapping, and banditry in the region.
“The time has come for ECOWAS to classify resource theft, illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes that endanger regional stability. We must mobilise the world against the trade in stolen minerals from West Africa,” Tinubu said.
The President called for stronger regional and international legal frameworks to curb illegal mining and recover stolen assets.
He also stressed the importance of transparency in the management of recovered funds, noting that Nigeria has channelled over N100 billion from recovered proceeds into social intervention initiatives, including the Student Loan Scheme and the Consumer Credit Scheme.
“No single nation can tackle this challenge alone. We must collaborate and ensure that those who profit illegally from our shared resources are held accountable,” he added.
Tinubu further called for global backing in establishing an international convention against resource theft, similar to existing treaties on drug and human trafficking.
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