President Tinubu urges ECOWAS to designate resource theft as an international crime to protect West Africa’s stability and security.
President Tinubu warns on resource theft as a direct threat to the stability and security of West Africa, urging the regional bloc to take decisive action against illegal mining and the trade of stolen minerals.
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Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, at the 2025 annual General Assembly of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) held at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja, the President called on ECOWAS to designate resource theft as an international crime.
“I believe that the time has come for ECOWAS to designate resource theft—illegal mining and stealing of minerals in the region—as an international crime that threatens the stability of the region, and galvanises the world against trade in stolen minerals from West Africa,” he said.
President Tinubu highlighted how illicit financial flows and the plundering of mineral resources have become an escalating menace, fuelling insecurity and violent crimes such as kidnapping and banditry across the sub-region.
“Stealing of mineral resources is on the rise in the region, fuelling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and other violent crimes,” he noted.
The President stressed that no single country can tackle these challenges alone, emphasising the importance of regional collaboration through NACIWA as a platform for coordinating anti-corruption efforts.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to asset recovery, he highlighted the country’s new legal framework for tracing and managing stolen assets. “Under Nigeria’s anti-corruption strategy, we have prioritised the tracing and recovery of stolen assets.
This vision has translated into the recovery of humongous sums by our anti-corruption agencies,” he stated.
He praised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by Mr. Ola Olukoyede, who also serves as the current President of NACIWA, for its prolific record in recovering stolen assets, describing the commission’s successes over the past two years as a model for member nations.
Furthermore, President Tinubu revealed that part of the recovered crime proceeds has been repurposed to fund social impact programmes, including the Student Loan Scheme and the Consumer Credit Scheme, which have benefited many Nigerians.
Emphasising unity, the President urged delegates at the NACIWA General Assembly to scrutinise anti-money laundering frameworks, financial intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and accountability in the extractive sector to bolster regional resilience.
“We need a paradigm shift from rhetoric to deliberate measures to actualise the vision of ECOWAS’ founding fathers for collective prosperity and good governance,” he said, expressing optimism that the 2025 Assembly would yield a new framework for inclusive growth and shared progress.
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President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s steadfast commitment to ECOWAS and NACIWA, declaring, “We are stronger together than being apart,” as he officially opened the 2025 NACIWA annual general meeting.
