THE death toll in the violent clash between bandits and illegal gold miners in Kaduna State has risen to 17, according to an updated report by AFP, citing a confidential security briefing.
Earlier reports by News Point Nigeria had placed the figure at seven, but subsequent findings revealed that the confrontation was far bloodier than initially believed.
The deadly confrontation unfolded on Thursday in the Birnin Gwari district of Kaduna State, a region long plagued by the twin scourges of banditry and illegal mining and has reignited fears of renewed violence in an area that had only recently enjoyed a fragile peace.
According to the security report seen by AFP, violence erupted when a notorious bandit kingpin allegedly extorted gold from miners at gunpoint at one of the illegal mining sites in the area.
The miners reportedly regrouped and launched a counterattack, killing the bandit leader on the spot.
In retaliation, the slain bandit’s comrades stormed the mining site later that day, opening fire indiscriminately and killing seven miners.
The violence then spilled into the nearby Layin Danauta village, where nine villagers were killed, 13 injured, and several others abducted in a reprisal raid that left homes and property destroyed.
Birnin Gwari, once a flashpoint of bandit attacks, had witnessed relative calm after the Kaduna State Government brokered a peace accord between local residents and armed groups in November 2024.
The recent bloodshed now threatens to unravel months of stability painstakingly achieved through community negotiations and government mediation.
“We have been enjoying relative peace since the peace deal was signed, but this latest violence risks jeopardising it,” said Muhammad Kabir, a local community member, who confirmed the killings and the retaliatory attacks.
Security sources say Birnin Gwari’s illegal mining boom has drawn both bandits and jihadist groups such as Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked faction that has expanded influence in the area since 2021.
