US lawmakers allege Chinese miners funding Boko Haram, ISWAP through ‘protection money’ in Nigeria

Five Republican members of the United States Congress have accused Chinese miners operating in Nigeria of financing Boko Haram and other terrorist groups under the guise of paying “protection money” to carry out illegal mining activities.

In a new bill titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, Representatives Riley Moore (West Virginia), Chris Smith (New Jersey), Bill Huizenga (Michigan), Brian Mast (Florida), and Mario Diaz-Balart (Florida) alleged that Chinese nationals are exploiting Nigeria’s solid minerals while compromising national security by bankrolling extremist groups responsible for years of deadly attacks.

Smith said the bill is expected to move through the House quickly and gain widespread support.

The lawmakers argued that systemic religious persecution—including mass murder, kidnappings, rape, village destruction, and forced displacement—has persisted in Nigeria since 2009. They attributed the crimes to Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militant groups, and other extremist organisations, estimating that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians were killed between 2009 and 2025, with churches also attacked or destroyed.

The bill stated that the militias’ actions are intended to intimidate, coerce, and displace civilians, disrupt local governance, and assert territorial control—adding that the activities meet the criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation under U.S. law.

The legislation is separate from another bill by Moore and Smith seeking to designate former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and two Nigerian herder groups as terrorists.

The lawmakers recommended that Nigerian authorities cooperate with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on countermeasures to block illegal mining operations and their funding streams.

At least 20 Chinese nationals have been arrested and arraigned in Nigerian courts over illegal mining activities in the last three years.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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