A security expert, Salihu Dantata, has alleged that some Western nations are equipping bandits in Nigeria to gain access to illegal mining activities.
Dantata made the claim on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, where he raised concerns about foreign involvement in the country’s security challenges.
He questioned the level of sophistication among insurgent groups, asking how members of ISWAP and Boko Haram are able to handle advanced rifles associated with elite Israeli forces.
The expert further alleged that in Zamfara State, helicopters have on several occasions been seen delivering arms to bandits and collecting gold in return.
“We can no longer hide the facts that some of the unscrupulous Western nations are involved in illegal gold mines in Nigeria and illegal tapping of our resources,” he said.
“Therefore, for them to have access to these sites, they equip some of these bandits and insurgents in some of these states that we are currently battling with insurgency.
“If not, how can an ISWAP or Boko Haram member train for one week and know how to handle rifles used by Israeli elite forces? That itself exposes the conspiracy.
“A particular superpower had predicted that by 2015 Nigeria was going to split. That never came to be,” he added.
Dantata’s claims come amid ongoing concerns over illegal mining and insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria, particularly in states like Zamfara, where banditry remains a major challenge.
