At least 17 people have lost their lives in a deadly clash between criminal gangs and illegal miners over control of a gold-rich site in Kaduna State, according to a confidential security assessment prepared for the United Nations on Friday.
The incident unfolded on Thursday in Birnin Gwari, an area in northwestern Nigeria long affected by lawlessness, including bandit attacks, cattle rustling, and rampant abductions for ransom.
Per details in the UN report, the bloodshed began when a well-known bandit leader tried to extort gold from miners at gunpoint.
The miners fought back, killing him. The killing, however, prompted an immediate retaliatory assault. Armed members of the slain kingpin’s group returned to the site and killed seven miners.
Later the same day, the violence spilled into the nearby village of Layin Danauta. The attackers killed nine residents, wounded 13 others, abducted several villagers, and caused widespread destruction to property.
Birnin Gwari, an area rich in natural resources and agriculture, had seen a notable period of calm after a peace agreement was brokered between armed groups and local communities by the Kaduna State Government in November 2024.
But the latest outbreak of violence threatens that fragile calm, leaving locals anxious. One resident, Muhammad Kabir, expressed concern over the recent bloodshed.
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“We have been enjoying relative peace since the peace deal was signed, but this latest violence risks jeopardizing it,” Kabir said.
Complicating the region’s volatile dynamics is the entrenched presence of Ansaru militants, a group with ties to Al-Qaeda. Since 2021, Ansaru has reportedly forged partnerships with bandit gangs in the area, imposing their hardline interpretation of Sharia law in some territories they control.
Although many bandits remain motivated by profit rather than ideology, security analysts warn that growing alliances between them and extremist factions from the northeast could deepen insecurity.
The UN’s security briefing observed that as bandits lost income from kidnappings and taxing farmers—largely due to the peace pact—many have shifted their focus to illegal mining as a fresh revenue stream.
The report concluded with a warning that the escalating tensions could severely destabilize the region, potentially causing a “degeneration” of the security situation in Birnin Gwari.
