Armed Banditry, Artisanal Mining, and the Changing Security Landscape of North-Central Nigeria

The study aims to examine the relationship between artisanal mining and insecurity in North-Central Nigeria,with particular attention to the roles of state and non-state actors in shaping conflict dynamics within miningcommunities. It aims to assess the influence of governance mechanisms on sustainable solid mineral developmentwithin Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining survey datafrom 400 respondents, including community leaders, artisanal miners, security personnel, civil society actors, and local government officials, with qualitative interviews providing contextual depth. Grounded in Resource Curse and Political Ecology perspectives, the study finds that unregulated mining of gold, tin, and columbite significantly escalates armed banditry and territorial conflicts. Regression results show a strong positive relationship between informal mining and insecurity (β = 0.67, p < .01) and a moderate effect of state and non-state actors on violence escalation (β = 0.52, p < .05). The study concludes that insecurity reflects governance deficits and rent-seeking dynamics, underscoring the need for stronger regulation and inclusive local governance mechanisms for sustainable conflict mitigation.