US Lawmakers Presenting a Bill Targeting Chinese Illicit Mining in Nigeria Due to Alleged Fulani Militant Funding
A US bill proposes collaboration with Nigeria to address illegal Chinese mining and mitigate violence from Fulani militias by providing technical support.
A proposed bill in the United States House of Representatives aims to tackle illegal Chinese mining operations in Nigeria, connecting them to financial support for Fulani militias and activities that destabilize the region. The proposed legislation suggests that the US Secretary of State engage directly with the Nigerian government to address these practices.
The bill, named the ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, was introduced on Tuesday by five Republican lawmakers: Chris Smith, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga. The initiative seeks to address what the sponsors refer to as “hostile foreign exploitation of Chinese illegal mining operations” in Nigeria.
Lawmakers assert that certain Chinese mining operations in Nigeria are linked to violence through the payment of protection money to Fulani militias. The legislation additionally instructs the US Secretary of State to evaluate “technical support to the Government of Nigeria to diminish and ultimately eradicate violence from armed Fulani militias.”
Clauses 10 and 11 of the proposed legislation explicitly indicate: “The Secretary of State should consider technical support to the Government of Nigeria to reduce and then eliminate violence from armed Fulani militias, including disarmament programs and comprehensive counter-terrorism cooperation to rid the region of Foreign Terrorist Organizations that pose a direct threat to the American homeland; “The Secretary of State should work with the Government of Nigeria to counteract the hostile foreign exploitation of Chinese illegal mining operations and their destabilizing practice of paying protection money to Fulani militias.”
The bill also urges the US Department of State to work with international partners such as France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom to support Nigeria in advancing religious freedom and fostering regional peace. The Secretary of State is responsible for assessing whether specific “Fulani-ethnic militias” in Nigeria qualify for designation as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations.”
The proposal reflects worries highlighted in an April 2023 report by The Times, which indicated that Chinese nationals in the Nigerian mining sector were reportedly financing terrorist groups to secure access to mineral resources. The report states, “Beijing could be indirectly funding terror in Africa’s largest economy.” Reports indicate that certain Chinese miners in Zamfara were serving as intermediaries for militant groups within the state and throughout northwestern Nigeria.
