The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) under the leadership of Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi has restated its determination to collaborate with security agencies across the continent in combating the menace of illegal mining and resource sabotage.

Dr. Audi was represented by ACG Muktar Lawal, who stated this while delivering a keynote address at the 12th Annual African Security Symposium held in Adidis Ababa, Ethiopia

His paper which was titled; Safeguarding Africa’s Natural Resources: The Strategic Role of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Combating Illegal Mining, Vandalism, and Resource Sabotage explored areas of joint collaboration and partnership by security agencies towards ending the illegal theft of African resources by criminal elements.

“It is common knowledge that Africa is richly blessed with vast natural resources minerals, oil and gas, forests, and water bodies  which hold tremendous potential for sustainable development. However, these resources have increasingly become targets of illegal exploitation, vandalism, and transnational organized crime.

“The activities of illegal miners, pipeline vandals, and environmental saboteurs not only deplete our national wealth but also threaten regional stability, exacerbate conflict, fuel insecurity, and deprive citizens of the benefits. Therefore, the security and preservation of our natural resources is not merely a national duty. It is a continental responsibility that demands robust collaboration, strategic enforcement, and a unified vision.

“In Nigeria, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has been strategically positioned to play a leading role in protecting critical national assets and infrastructure. We are also actively engaged in disaster management, safeguarding oil pipelines, power installations, and mining sites, preventing acts of vandalism, amongst other activities.

“Through intelligence-led operations, inter-agency cooperation, community engagement, and the deployment of specialized units, the NSCDC has achieved significant successes in curtailing illegal mining, dismantling illegal refineries, apprehending vandals, and protecting Nigeria’s vital economic lifelines.

“To combat this menace, we must know that Africa’s security challenges transcend borders. The same actors that operate illegally in one country often extend their networks into neighbouring nations. Thus, no single country can address these threats in isolation.

“It is, therefore, imperative to enhanced cross-border intelligence sharing, initiate joint training and capacity building for resource protection forces, harmonized legal frameworks to criminalize illegal mining and sabotage across the continent and deploy advanced technologies, such as drone surveillance, geospatial monitoring, and data-driven enforcement strategies.

“It is our conviction that implementing these continent wide, under the frameworks of the African Union, ECOWAS, and other regional bodies, will be essential for dismantling the networks that undermine our resource security”, the address concluded.

In a media chat with Engr. Jator Abido, a Consultant and MD/CEO of Yatov Consult International Limited, who coordinated the participation of NSCDC in the symposium, assured journalists of his conviction that, NSCDC “can replicate its operations in Africa considering the tremendous success recorded in protecting critical national assets and infrastructure, leading to significant increase in revenue generation”.