President Bola Tinubu has called on West African leaders to classify resource theft, illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes, describing them as grave threats to regional peace, stability, and development
Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, made the call in Abuja on Tuesday while declaring open the Annual General Meeting of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA).
The President lamented that despite decades of independence, corruption and the plundering of mineral resources continue to undermine the region’s economic and political progress.
“I believe the time has come for us to designate resource theft, mining, and stealing of minerals in the region as an international crime that threatens regional stability and galvanise the world against threats from stolen minerals from West Africa,” Tinubu said.
He urged leaders across the subregion to unite against the criminal networks that profit from mineral smuggling and resource plunder, stressing that such acts fuel instability and hinder sustainable development.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also called on West African nations to domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption to ensure that corrupt officials find no safe haven within the subregion.
“Let us domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption so that thieves find no hiding place,” Fagbemi said. “The child who says his mother will not sleep will also not sleep. So too, the corrupt who disturb the peace of nations must not find rest across borders.”
NACIWA, an anti-corruption network comprising ECOWAS member countries, promotes regional cooperation in the fight against corruption.
Its current president is Ola Olukoyede, who also serves as the Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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