838
By Lizzy Chirkpi
A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore has raised allegations linking illegal foreign mining operations in Nigeria to the financing of jihadist violence against Christians.
Speaking on The Faulkner Focus, l Moore said he personally delivered a formal report to President Donald Trump detailing what he described as a “devastating” and systematic persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
“The situation is absolutely devastating, we are seeing thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ being slaughtered, and for too long, the world has turned a blind eye,” Moore said.
Moore’s most striking claim centered on what he called the “missing piece” of the crisis: illegal rare earth mineral mining allegedly operated by Chinese entities inside Nigeria.
“One key point that has been missing from much of the coverage is that the Chinese are running illegal rare earth mineral mining operations in Nigeria. This isn’t just a trade issue; it is directly fueling the violence.”
According to the congressman, these mining operations are allegedly paying protection money to terrorist groups, creating what he described as a “direct financial pipeline” to extremist organizations.
“They are paying protection money to radical Islamic terrorists who use that money to finance their operations to persecute and kill our brothers and sisters in Christ,” Moore alleged.
He continued, “The terrorists provide the security for these illegal mines, and in exchange, they get the cash they need to buy weapons and carry out these massacres.”
While Moore did not provide documentary evidence during the televised interview, the report references extremist factions operating in Nigeria’s northeast, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
Both groups have long been responsible for attacks on civilian populations, including churches, schools, and rural farming communities.
The conflict mineral narrative outlined in Moore’s report suggests that the global demand for lithium and rare earth elements are critical for electronics, renewable energy systems, and defense technologies may be inadvertently sustaining violent non-state actors.
He further recommended a bilateral security agreement between the United States and Nigeria, as well as immediate accountability for foreign mining entities operating illegally within the country.
“This cannot continue, we have recommended a bilateral security agreement and immediate accountability for these mining entities.”
He also noted that President Trump had “redesignated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,” a classification used by the U.S. government for nations engaged in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.
“We must go further to dismantle these jihadist networks and the foreign money keeping them alive,” Moore added.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has battled insurgency and banditry for over a decade. While violence has affected both Christian and Muslim communities, advocacy groups have increasingly framed the crisis as targeted religious persecution.
Moore’s claims are likely to intensify diplomatic scrutiny over foreign mineral extraction in West Africa and could strain already sensitive U.S.–China relations.