Chinese ‘bribed Nigerian militants for access to vast mineral reserves’

Chinese mining contractors in Nigeria have been accused of smuggling minerals out of the country. Two men were held in 2020 in Zamfara
Chinese mining contractors in Nigeria have been accused of smuggling minerals out of the country. Two men were held in 2020 in Zamfara

Chinese mining bosses are funding Nigerian militant groups in order to secure access to the country’s mineral reserves, raising the prospect that Beijing could be indirectly funding terror in Africa’s largest economy.

Chinese companies working in parts of Nigeria where attacks are frequent have been striking security deals with insurgents, The Times has learnt. Attacks on Chinese citizens, of whom there are said to be between 100,000 and 200,000 in Nigeria, have become regular occurrences in recent years amid the country’s many conflicts.

Between 2019 and last year, 51 Chinese people are known to have been kidnapped and three killed. It is likely that many more incidents go unreported. The Chinese embassy in Abuja has now urged its citizens to “strengthen civil defence, physical defence