Nigeria's mining sector faces heightened risk of exploitation by foreign criminals due to issues around ineffective management of natural resources and opaque extraction processes. China is a high-risk jurisdiction, with several Chinese nationals having been arrested in Nigeria for their involvement in illegal mining since 2020. In one case, police in Zamfara State arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly engaging in illegal mining in the Bukkuyum locality, where all mining activities are banned due to local conflict. Most of the illicit mining in Nigeria is driven by international criminal networks and foreign demand for key minerals such as gold. Local actors, however, often play a crucial role in facilitating the illicit mining and trafficking of these minerals. This issue is compounded by the fact that regulators and security forces in the country have not prioritised security and anti-corruption efforts across the mining sector.