By Emmanuel Kwada
A chilling betrayal unfolded in Zamfara State as an uneasy pact between illegal miners and armed bandits shattered into a violent massacre, leaving 19 dead and 4 abducted at a mining site in Gobirwa Chali Village, Bindin District of Maru Local Government Area.
What began as a marriage of convenience—miners paying bandits for protection—ended in a bloodbath, exposing the deadly risks of illicit alliances in Nigeria’s North-West.
Intelligence sources confirmed that the attack erupted at approximately 6:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025, when bandits descended on the site, unleashing a barrage of gunfire that cut down miners indiscriminately. The scene was one of sheer horror, with bodies strewn across the rugged terrain and survivors fleeing in terror. Four individuals were dragged away by the assailants, their fates unknown as of Saturday.
Troops from Operation FANSAN YANMA raced to the area, working to restore calm and track the perpetrators, but the assault laid bare a grim reality: dozens of illegal mining operations in the region thrive under the shadow of bandit protection. “These sites operate on a handshake deal—bandits shield miners from interference in exchange for weekly or monthly royalties,” a source explained. “But when tensions flare over cash, loyalty, or betrayal, it’s a spark to a powder keg.”
These sites operate on a handshake deal—bandits shield miners from interference in exchange for weekly or monthly royalties
The source pointed to a stark disparity in the bandit ecosystem: “Ever wonder why the big players’ sites never get hit? They’ve got bandits on payroll, guarding their operations like private security. It’s the small fry—like these miners—who pay the ultimate price.” This revelation hints at a deeper web of complicity, where influential figures may quietly profit while violence engulfs the vulnerable.
Security analyst Dr. Aminu Sadiq called the massacre a glaring symptom of a festering crisis. “Illegal mining isn’t just lawlessness—it’s a lifeline for armed groups. The profits bankroll weapons, abductions, and more bloodshed. Zamfara won’t see peace until this cycle is smashed.”
He criticized the federal government’s recent lifting of a mining ban in Zamfara, enacted in 2019 to curb such chaos but reversed in 2024 amid claims of improved security. “The ban’s gone, but where’s the regulation? Have they fixed what broke the system in the first place? No,” Sadiq warned.
Ever wonder why the big players’ sites never get hit? They’ve got bandits on payroll, guarding their operations like private security
The Gobirwa Chali attack follows a pattern of volatility tied to illegal mining, which fuels both economic desperation and criminal enterprise in the North-West. With gold prices soaring—Zamfara’s deposits are valued at billions—bandits and miners alike chase riches, often at gunpoint. Yet, the cost is steep: environmental ruin, lead poisoning outbreaks, and now, mass graves.
As troops scour the bush for the killers and the abducted, residents of Maru LGA mourn, their hopes dimmed by a tragedy that underscores a brutal truth: in Zamfara’s goldfields, trust is a currency deadlier than bullets. The government faces mounting pressure to dismantle these illicit networks, but without a robust plan to regulate mining and choke bandit funding, analysts fear the region’s descent into anarchy is far from over.
