ABUJA, — China’s Embassy in Nigeria has strongly denied allegations that Chinese mining firms are involved in illegal mining or financing militant groups, calling the claims “false” and harmful to bilateral relations. The embassy statement followed renewed scrutiny tied to a U.S. congressional bill that references alleged links between illegal mining and insecurity in Nigeria.
In its response, the embassy said Beijing requires Chinese companies abroad to comply with host-country laws and maintains “zero tolerance” for criminal conduct. It added that most Chinese mining operators in Nigeria work within legal frameworks, contribute to local economies, and have themselves been victims of insecurity.
The immediate trigger appears to be a draft U.S. measure, reported as the “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,” sponsored by Republican lawmakers including Rep. Riley Moore. Reporting on the bill says it urges Washington to work with Nigeria against “foreign exploitation” tied to alleged illegal mining networks and protection payments to armed groups.
The embassy accused some media outlets of amplifying and, in its view, distorting those allegations into broader narratives that “Chinese mining companies [are] funding terrorism.” It urged outlets to stop circulating unverified claims. The dispute lands at a sensitive moment for Nigeria’s solid minerals sector. Abuja has expanded enforcement against unlicensed operations through mining marshals and repeated vows to dismantle violent illegal-mining cartels. Recent local reporting says enforcement teams have faced armed resistance in some areas.
Independent reporting over the past year has documented widespread illegal mining, labor abuses, and regulatory gaps in parts of Nigeria’s lithium and broader minerals value chain, including claims that some foreign-linked buyers operate through opaque local networks. Those investigations, however, do not by themselves establish direct state-backed Chinese involvement in terrorism financing.
For now, the core facts are these: U.S. lawmakers have raised formal allegations in proposed legislation; China has categorically denied them; and Nigerian authorities continue anti-illegal-mining operations amid persistent security concerns. Whether any specific firm can be legally tied to terror financing will depend on evidence produced through Nigerian and/or international investigations, not political statements alone.
