By Tony Ezike
Former United States Mayor, Mike Arnold, has alleged that Chinese nationals and companies are complicit in the ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria. In a post shared via his official X handle (formerly Twitter), Arnold expressed outrage over what he described as China’s obstruction of U.S. efforts to intervene and stop the killings.
“Wow, imagine that China doesn’t want the U.S. to get involved in stopping the genocide and bringing justice to the land. Do you wonder why?” Arnold wrote.
According to his statement, several Chinese-linked companies have been directly involved in illegal mineral extraction in conflict-ridden regions of Nigeria. Between 2023 and 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reportedly intercepted multiple trucks transporting illicit consignments of lithium, tin, gold, and copper valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. The operations were allegedly conducted by unlicensed Chinese entities operating in Zamfara, Kwara, Nasarawa, and Plateau State; areas long plagued by violence and terrorist attacks.
Investigative reports by SBM Intelligence and The Times also indicate that Chinese miners have been paying so-called “rents” or protection fees to terrorist groups in exchange for access to mineral-rich territories.
Arnold further noted that China’s extensive economic footprint in Nigeria, comprising $21 billion in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects and $1.3 billion in mineral investments since 2023 suggests deeper complicity.
“China’s hands are not clean, they are stained with the blood of the displaced and the dead,” he stated, accusing Beijing of profiting from Nigeria’s instability and turning “Nigerian soil into profit while genocide rages.”
The allegations have sparked renewed debate on international involvement in Nigeria’s internal conflicts and the role of foreign economic interests in sustaining violence across mineral-rich regions.
