Chinese nationals in the mining sector are allegedly funding Nigerian militant groups to secure access to the country’s mineral reserves, a report has said. The Times, a British national daily, in a report published on Saturday, said this revelation raises concerns that Beijing could be indirectly funding terror in Africa’s largest economy. The report claimed that Chinese companies working in parts of Nigeria where attacks are frequent have been striking security deals with insurgents. It added that attacks on Chinese citizens said to be between 100,000 and 200,000 in Nigeria, have become regular occurrences in recent years amid conflicts.
Between 2019 and 2022, the report said 51 Chinese nationals are known to have been kidnapped and three killed, with many more incidents likely to go unreported. It said the Chinese embassy in Abuja has now urged its citizens to “strengthen the civil defence, physical defence.”
Meanwhile, some Chinese nationals who have worked informally as miners in Zamfara serve as runners for some militant groups in the state and other north-western parts of the country, the report alleged, adding that researchers found that interaction with militants runs so deep that some serve as runners for Chinese miners who have spread throughout Nigeria, controlling digs for gold.
Through bribes and illegal transactions, it said some Chinese nationals have allegedly funded terrorist groups in Nigeria, turning the region into the country’s bloodiest conflict zone.
“Research shared with The Times from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based analytical group, has revealed videos on social media and WhatsApp of militant leaders boasting that they are so powerful that Chinese workers wishing to operate in their areas must pay them ‘rent’. They have taken over swathes of northwest Nigeria, turning the region into the country’s bloodiest conflict zone.
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