President Bola Tinubu has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to designate resource theft, illegal mining, and mineral smuggling as international crimes that threaten regional stability.
The president made the appeal on Tuesday in Abuja during the 7th Annual General Assembly of the Network of Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA). The 2025 assembly carried the theme: “A United ECOWAS Against Corruption: Strengthening Regional Collaboration for Asset Recovery and Exchange of Information.”
Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, said the theme was apt, stressing that the recovery of stolen assets lies at the core of the region’s fight against corruption.
“West Africa’s post-independence economic and political trajectory has been blighted by corruption, manifested in the theft and stashing of our commonwealth abroad by corrupt officials,” he said. “Even now, illicit outflows remain an odious miasma.”
He highlighted the rise in mineral theft in the region, noting its links to the proliferation of small arms, kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes, which have worsened security challenges and hindered regional development.
“I believe the time has come for ECOWAS to designate resource theft—including illegal mining and stealing of minerals—as an international crime threatening regional stability. This will galvanize global action against the trade in stolen minerals from West Africa,” Tinubu said.
The president stressed that no single country could effectively combat illicit financial flows alone, urging collective action under platforms like NACIWA. He also highlighted Nigeria’s progress in asset recovery under its anti-corruption strategy, noting the pivotal role of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), led by Ola Olukoyede.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), also urged ECOWAS member states to unite against corruption, describing it as a moral, legal, and cultural imperative. He called for domestication of the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption to ensure corrupt officials find no safe haven in the subregion.
“Let us domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption so that thieves find no hiding place. The corrupt who disturb the peace of nations must not find rest across borders,” Fagbemi said.
He further proposed establishing an ECOWAS Regional Task Force on Asset Recovery, supported by NACIWA, to coordinate investigations and intelligence sharing. He stressed the need for adequately resourced and independent anti-corruption institutions, warning against underfunding which could make them vulnerable to compromise.
EFCC Chairman and NACIWA President, Ola Olukoyede, underscored that the fight against corruption in West Africa must be viewed within the broader framework of political stability and social justice. He highlighted challenges such as political transitions, security concerns, and governance gaps in some member states.
Olukoyede urged member institutions to remain committed to NACIWA’s founding principles of solidarity, mutual assistance, and institutional integrity, stressing the importance of sustained cooperation beyond political cycles.
The assembly was attended by Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption Chairman Sen. Emmanuel Udende; House Committee on Anti-Corruption Chairman Hon. Ginger Onwusibe (represented by Nnamdi Eze); EU Ambassador to Nigeria Gautta Mignot; ECOWAS Commission Vice President Damtien Tchintchibidja; and UNODC Country Representative Cheikh Toure (represented by Princess Chifiero), among others.
