Onoja: We Must Cut Sources of Funding to Bandits, Terrorists to Deny Them Freedom of Action

Accomplished NSCDC Mining Marshals commander, ACC John Attah Onoja, emphasised the necessity for the government and partners to eliminate funding sources for terrorists and criminal elements in Nigeria. During a meeting with members of the Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN), he vowed to sustain efforts to dismantle illegal mining syndicates and disrupt illicit financing linked to banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.

Onoja stressed that illegal mining is not only environmentally destructive but also a potential funding source for criminal and terrorist groups. He stated, "We must ask: how do the people in those forests feed? How do they get money?" Onoja highlighted that disrupting illicit financial flows to criminal groups would weaken their operational capacity, making banditry and terrorism less attractive.

He also announced that the Mining Marshals employed intelligence-led operations, including the arrest and prosecution of offenders. The Mining Marshals persist in enforcing mining laws across Nigeria, despite limitations in manpower and resources. Onoja urged the media to support the fight with accurate, responsible reporting on illegal mining and its security implications.

He acknowledged the NSCDC's establishment of the Mining Marshals to protect Nigeria's critical mineral resources. DECAN President Sunday Odita acknowledged the security and economic implications of illegal mining, commending the government and NSCDC for creating the Mining Marshals. He stressed the importance of collaboration among security agencies, the media, and other stakeholders to tackle the issue.