PARIS/ABUJA –
A Paris criminal court has convicted French cement giant Lafarge and eight
former executives of financing jihadist groups, including the Islamic State
(IS), yet Nigeria’s government, where Lafarge runs four major plants has
refused to comment, raising fresh questions about official commitment to
cutting terror funding amid a worsening domestic insurgency.
The court found that Lafarge paid $6.5
million between 2013 and 2014 to IS and al-Qaeda-linked militants
to keep its Syrian plant running. Former CEO Bruno Lafont was sentenced to six
years in prison. Judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez said the payments “allowed
terrorist organizations to gain control of Syria’s natural resources, financing
attacks in the Middle East and Europe.”
The Company operates cement plants in Ewekoro
and Sagamu (Ogun State), Mfamosing (Cross River State), and Ashaka (Gombe
State), the latter located in Nigeria’s North-East, the epicenter of
the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency that has killed tens of thousands and displaced
millions.
The conviction comes as Nigeria ranks as the
world’s fourth most terrorism-affected country, with a 46% surge in
terror-related deaths in 2025 under President Bola Tinubu. ISWAP, the Islamic
State’s West African franchise remains active across the North-East,
North-West, and North-Central regions, including recent deadly attacks on
military bases and civilian villages.
Despite Lafarge’s deep footprint in Nigeria’s
conflict zones, the government has declined to comment. The Office of the
National Security Adviser did not respond to requests. A spokesperson for the
Attorney-General simply said “no comment,” while a counter-terrorism official
said the matter would be addressed at a later briefing.
The silence is notable given that just days
earlier, Nigeria published a list of 48 individuals and entities accused of
terrorism financing, including separatist Simon Ekpa and publisher Tukur Mamu,
as part of a renewed crackdown.
Lafarge, now owned by Swiss-based Holcim, sold
its Nigerian subsidiary to Chinese firm Huaxin Cement in August 2025 for $1
billion. A separate French case investigating Lafarge for complicity in crimes
against humanity remains ongoing.
