A Senate finding has traced illegal artisanal gold mining in parts of Nigeria’s North-West to the region’s worsening security situation, warning that large sums from the illicit trade are being channelled into arms purchases and the operations of violent criminal networks. This was contained in a report presented by the Senate Leader and Chairman of
A Senate finding has traced illegal artisanal gold mining in parts of Nigeria’s North-West to the region’s worsening security situation, warning that large sums from the illicit trade are being channelled into arms purchases and the operations of violent criminal networks.
This was contained in a report presented by the Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc Committee on National Security, Opeyemi Bamidele, following a North-West Zonal Public Hearing held in Kaduna State in November 2025.
According to the report, illegal gold mining in Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina was singled out as one of the most dangerous drivers of the violence. It says the illicit mining trade is being used to finance arms procurement and sustain criminal operations, significantly worsening insecurity in the region.
“Illegal artisanal mining of gold in these states, where proceeds are used to procure arms, is profoundly responsible for insecurity in the North-West,” the report stated.
The report explained that violence across Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto and Zamfara states has continued to evolve, fuelled by ethnic and religious tensions, disputes over land and grazing routes, widespread poverty, porous borders with the Niger Republic, arms proliferation, and extensive smuggling along poorly monitored corridors.
The senate noted that what initially appeared as small-scale banditry has transformed into organised criminal syndicates now involved in kidnapping for ransom, mass abductions of students and villagers, highway ambushes, and cattle rustling.
Also, in many cases, stolen livestock is moved across state lines and sold through informal markets, making tracking and recovery difficult.
Stakeholders who participated in the hearing said the threats confronting communities are no longer random or localised, but systematic and coordinated.
Participants commended the Senate for adopting what they described as a whole-of-society approach to addressing the crisis, stressing that the scale and complexity of current threats require collective responsibility beyond the efforts of security agencies alone.
The participants advised that traditional rulers, civil society groups, religious leaders, youth organisations, and local governments must all be involved in shaping solutions.
Stakeholders also raised concerns about persistent attacks on communities, noting that bandits continue to target schoolchildren, travellers, farmers, and traditional rulers in Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina and parts of neighbouring Niger State. Many communities, they said, now live in constant fear, with economic activity disrupted and schools forced to close periodically due to threats of violence.
Beyond criminal activity, the report highlighted governance and political challenges that are deepening the crisis. These include weak local government structures, the politicisation of security matters, competing political interests and the lack of coordinated action among agencies and tiers of government.
Other issues identified were poor response times by security agencies, mistrust between citizens and security operatives, allegations of corruption and operational excesses, economic marginalisation, environmental pressures linked to climate change, and the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons.
The Senate called for an integrated security framework that balances military action with community engagement, intelligence gathering and long-term development strategies. It urged stronger regional cooperation, including the expansion of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to cover Nigeria’s border with the Niger Republic, where criminal groups often move across with ease.
In addition to rural violence, the Senate expressed concern over rising urban crime, warning that frequent robberies and “one chance” incidents continue to threaten daily life in major cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja.
The report concluded that reversing the trend of violence will require intelligence-driven, inter-agency collaboration supported by strong governance reforms and sustained socio-economic interventions.
