Illegal gold mining fuels bandit violence in Nigeria: villagers, experts say

A scramble for gold extracted from illegal mines is increasingly fuelling violence by armed criminal gangs across parts of Nigeria, according to officials, expert reports, and residents.

Bandits operating in north-western and central regions routinely tax miners and demand a share of extracted ore in exchange for access to mining pits, villagers and analysts say. In some cases, the gangs actively support illegal mining operations, violently displacing communities that sit on mineral-rich land.

“People usually protest and the miners respond by launching deadly raids to take over the area,” said Mamman Alassan, a resident of north-western Niger State’s Shiroro district who fled his village three years ago after repeated attacks. Alassan told AFP he eventually resettled in Minna city following the raids.

Shiroro and surrounding areas are rich not only in gold but also in other valuable minerals, including tantalite, copper and lithium, which is in high demand for electric vehicles and clean energy technologies.

Revenue for crime

Intelligence sources tell AFP news agency criminal economy around mining has grown so entrenched that even licensed mining companies are forced to pay armed groups to gain access to sites. “Gold has become an increasingly important revenue stream for armed bandit groups in north-west Nigeria since 2023,” the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in an October report.

Northwestern and central Nigerian states have for years been terrorised by armed groups locally known as “bandits,” who raid villages, loot and burn homes, and abduct residents for ransom. While the violence initially stemmed from clashes between herders and farmers over shrinking grazing land and water resources—pressures worsened by climate change—it has since evolved into organised crime.

The shift has coincided with a surge in global gold prices, which have topped $4,300 an ounce in recent weeks, making illegal mining increasingly lucrative.

Nigeria, better known as Africa’s largest oil producer, also holds significant gold reserves estimated at about 754,000 ounces (21.37 tonnes), worth roughly $1.4 billion and accounting for 0.5 percent of global production, according to the 2023 Gold Mining Industry report.

Student kidnappings

A recent wave of mass kidnappings, including the abduction of hundreds of schoolchildren, has brought renewed international attention to the insecurity. Officials say illegal mining plays a central role in sustaining the violence.

Local artisans mine gold to earn a living, attracting prospectors from neighbouring countries, according to officials including Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris. But the trade has also become deeply entangled with transnational crime.

Nigeria’s counter-terrorism chief, Major General Adamu Garba, said illegal mining “intersects with banditry, insurgency, arms trafficking and cross-border smuggling.”

Against the backdrop of rising kidnappings and killings, governors and traditional rulers from 19 northern states recently described illegal mining as a “major contributory factor to the security crises,” calling for a six-month suspension of mining activities to clean up the sector.

However, the Nigerian Miners Association cautioned against a blanket ban, warning it would disrupt livelihoods, “deepen poverty and increase insecurity.”

Some states have already taken unilateral action. In October, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago announced an indefinite ban on mining and plans to recruit 10,000 government-sponsored militia to protect rural communities.

At the federal level, a five-year mining ban imposed in Zamfara State in 2019 was lifted in January, with authorities citing “improved security.”