Daniel Otera
A deadly attack in Oreke-Okeigbo, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, has once again highlighted the fragile intersection between Nigeria’s mining boom and escalating insecurity.
On Wednesday evening, gunmen launched an assault on a mining facility, resulting in the deaths of two police officers and the abduction of two workers, one Chinese and one Nigerian. The assailants also reportedly seized official rifles from the slain officers.
According to a police statement issued Thursday, the victims, Assistant Superintendent Haruna Watsai and Inspector Tukur Ogah, both attached to the 45 Police Mobile Force in Abuja, were on protective detail at the mining site when the attack occurred around 6:30 p.m.
The abducted individuals were identified as Mr. Sam Xie Wie, a Chinese national, and Mr. David Adenaiye, a Nigerian from Kogi State.
This incident is part of a broader trend of security threats confronting Nigeria’s mining sector, particularly in states rich in solid minerals. Reports indicate a surge in attacks on mining sites and infrastructure across Nigeria between 2022 and 2024, especially in the North-Central and North-West zones. Conflict trackers have documented a rise in abductions, armed raids, and violent disruptions near mining sites in states such as Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Zamfara, and Kaduna.
These areas continue to face increasing security threats due to a mix of illegal mining, weak regulation, and bandit activity.
The abduction of the Chinese national and his Nigerian colleague in Oreke-Okeigbo adds to Nigeria’s growing security crisis, particularly in remote and resource-rich areas. Between July 2023 and June 2024, no fewer than 7,568 people were abducted across 1,130 incidents nationwide, according to a 2024 report by SBM Intelligence, with over 1,000 lives lost in kidnapping-related violence.
While the report tracked broad insecurity trends, it highlighted the frequent targeting of Chinese nationals and Nigerian workers at mining sites, especially in under-policed regions of the north-central and north-west.
In the same period, kidnappers reportedly demanded a total of ₦10.9 billion in ransom, out of which ₦1.04 billion was allegedly paid by victims’ families.
The mining sector, often operating in remote and poorly secured environments, has become a magnet for such attacks, raising concerns about the safety of both foreign and local personnel at excavation sites.
Since 2020, Nigeria has witnessed a worrying pattern of abductions targeting Chinese nationals working in mining and construction sites across the country. At least 14 Chinese workers have reportedly been kidnapped in attacks often linked to remote and poorly secured locations.
Many of these sites fall within areas classified as “high-risk” by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), a government-backed body that monitors the country’s extractive industries. The remoteness and lack of adequate security infrastructure in these locations have made them vulnerable to violent incursions.
Notable incidents include the abduction of four Chinese nationals during an attack on a mining site in Shiroro, Niger State, in June 2022, which also resulted in several security personnel being killed. Earlier, in 2021, three Chinese workers were kidnapped from a gold mining site in Osun State amid rising local tensions. Similarly, two Chinese expatriates were abducted in Ebonyi State in 2020.
In a July 2024 report, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) flagged significant regulatory gaps in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector. The report revealed that over 80% of mining sites operate informally, with minimal compliance monitoring. This lack of oversight, combined with widespread artisanal mining activities, has left many sites vulnerable to criminal attacks and environmental risks.
Although Kwara State is not among Nigeria’s top three solid mineral producers, it has recently attracted growing interest from Chinese and local mining investors. In April 2024, the state government engaged with ER-Kang Mining Nigeria Ltd, a Chinese firm exploring investments aimed at local processing of solid minerals, signaling Kwara’s emerging role in Nigeria’s mining landscape.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Kwara earned over ₦362 million in mining-related Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) between 2021 and 2024 almost double what it posted in the preceding three years.
Yet while revenue has grown, security provisioning has not kept pace. A 2023 audit by the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) recorded six fatal attacks within 15km of active mining zones in the state, mostly involving abductions or targeted killings of security personnel.
Security experts and publicly available analyses indicate that Kwara’s hilly and forested terrain, including areas like Oreke-Okeigbo, provides natural cover for armed groups, complicating tactical responses by security forces. This is consistent with observations in reports by the Nigeria Security Tracker and geographic data from open-source mapping platforms.
The involvement of a Chinese expatriate in the Oreke-Okeigbo abduction reflects a broader pattern of growing Chinese engagement in Nigeria’s mining sector. According to publicly available data from Nigeria’s Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, China has emerged as a significant player, with numerous Chinese companies holding active or pending mining licenses across various states.
This trend aligns with Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to attract foreign investment to boost its solid minerals sector, where Chinese firms have become key stakeholders over recent years.
However, with the expansion of Chinese investment into rural and volatile areas, attacks targeting Chinese workers have become more frequent.
Multiple international media reports and security monitoring organizations have documented rising incidents of kidnappings and violent attacks on Chinese nationals working in Nigeria’s mining and construction sectors, particularly in northern states such as Niger.
In Nigeria, it is common practice for mining companies both foreign and local to engage police and military personnel for private security at their operational sites.
This arrangement arises due to the absence of internal security measures and limited federal military presence in many mining areas. While permitted under Nigeria’s security framework, this practice has raised concerns about the vulnerability of officers and the potential for them to be outnumbered during attacks.
The Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police have acknowledged that military and police operatives are stationed at mining sites to provide security for legitimate investors, especially in conflict-prone areas. They emphasized that such deployments are made upon legitimate requests from miners operating in these regions.
However, this reliance on private security arrangements has been criticized for potentially leaving officers exposed and overextended, particularly in remote locations where they may face armed assailants without adequate backup.
The situation underscores the need for a more robust and centralized security framework to protect mining operations across the country.
In response to these challenges, the Nigerian government has initiated measures to enhance security in the mining sector. One such initiative is the establishment of the Mines Marshal, a specialized security outfit comprising 2,220 operatives drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). These marshals are tasked with securing mining sites, combating illegal mining activities, and ensuring compliance with mining laws.
The creation of the Mines Marshal represents a significant step towards addressing the security concerns in Nigeria’s mining sector. By providing dedicated and specialized security personnel, the government aims to reduce the reliance on private security arrangements and enhance the overall safety of mining operations.
The Nigerian government has, in recent years, emphasized the solid minerals sector as a critical alternative to oil, with a focus on attracting foreign direct investment and boosting internal revenue. However, repeated attacks on mining sites, especially in mineral-rich northern states, continue to erode investor confidence and undermine state revenue projections.
A September 2024 briefing by Global Rights, a human rights advocacy group, revealed that up to 80 percent of insecurity in the North West can be linked to illegal mining activities. The report warned that the absence of strong regulation and community policing has turned many rural mining areas into operational hubs for criminal gangs and armed groups.
Similarly, research by the International Crisis Group has documented how violent groups exploit poorly regulated mining operations to fund armed campaigns and destabilize communities across the north.
