By Kabiru Abdulrauf
The death toll from the violent clash between bandits and illegal gold miners in Kaduna State has risen to 17, according to an updated security report quoted by AFP on Friday.
Earlier reports by newsmen had placed the number of casualties at seven.
The deadly confrontation occurred on Thursday in the Birnin Gwari district, an area long plagued by criminal gangs engaged in cattle rustling, kidnapping, and extortion across Nigeria’s northwest and central regions.
According to the report, violence broke out at an illegal mining site after a notorious bandit kingpin allegedly extorted gold from miners at gunpoint. The miners reportedly mobilised and killed the kingpin, triggering a brutal reprisal from his gang, who stormed the site, killing seven miners.
Later that evening, the attackers invaded Layin Danauta village, where they killed nine people, injured 13 others, and abducted several residents, burning properties in the process.
Birnin Gwari, rich in both agriculture and minerals had until recently enjoyed relative calm following a peace agreement brokered between local communities and armed groups by the Kaduna State government in late 2024.
Resident Muhammad Kabir, who spoke to AFP, expressed fears that the renewed violence could unravel the fragile peace:
“We have been enjoying relative peace since the peace deal was signed, but this latest violence risks jeopardising it.”
Security analysts say the fragile truce had already weakened as bandits lost key income sources from kidnapping and illegal levies on farmers. Many have since turned to gold mining extortion as a new revenue stream.
A United Nations security report cited by AFP warned that the latest bloodshed could mark a “degeneration of the peace” in Birnin Gwari, with further clashes likely if security forces fail to restore order.
The district has also seen the infiltration of Al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru jihadists, who have forged alliances with local bandit networks since 2021, enforcing extremist laws and deepening insecurity across the region.
