U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore has alleged that Chinese actors involved in illegal rare earth mining in Nigeria are actively funding “radical Islamic terrorists” to facilitate their operations and persecute Christian communities.
United States Congressman Riley M. Moore (R-WV) has raised a fresh alarm over the nexus between illegal mining activities and the rise of extremist violence in Nigeria. Speaking in an interview with Fox News on Friday, February 27, 2026, Moore alleged that Chinese nationals operating illegal rare earth mineral mines in the country are paying “protection money” to radical Islamic groups. The lawmaker claimed that these funds are subsequently used by the terrorists to finance their operations, which include the systematic persecution and killing of Christians across Nigeria’s northern and Middle Belt regions.
The revelation follows a formal report Moore presented to President Donald Trump earlier this week, detailing the findings of a bipartisan congressional fact-finding mission to Nigeria conducted in late 2025. Moore asserted that the role of foreign actors in stabilizing terror networks through illicit trade has been a critical missing piece in international discussions regarding Nigeria’s security crisis. “They are paying protection money to radical Islamic terrorists who use that money to finance their operations to persecute and kill our brothers and sisters in Christ,” he stated, emphasizing that these mining operations often occur in areas where government oversight is virtually non-existent.
Congressman Moore, who was tasked by President Trump to lead an investigation after Nigeria was redesignated as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), warned that the situation has escalated into a genocidal campaign. His report recommends that the U.S. government implement targeted sanctions and withhold certain funds until the Nigerian government takes demonstrable action to dismantle these illegal mining-terrorist partnerships. He concluded by reiterating the urgency of the matter, noting: “One key point that has been missing from much of the coverage is that the Chinese are running illegal rare earth mineral mining operations in Nigeria.”