03/01/2026
Illegal gold mining stokes bandit violence in Nigeria
A scramble for gold reserves dug up in illegal mines is fuelling violence by criminal gangs in parts of Nigeria, officials, expert reports and local residents say, with much of it smuggled to a Middle Eastern destination. Northwestern and central Nigerian states have long been terrorised by criminal gangs locally called 'bandits' who raid villages, abduct residents and loot and burn homes. While the decades-long violence started as clashes between herders and farmers over limited grazing land and water resources exacerbated by climate change, the conflict has since morphed into organised crime ? at a time when the price of the precious metal has been soaring. Nigeria is well known for its...
