Illegal Chinese Miners Bribe Gang to Protect Their Digs
By Mike Odeh James
Nigerian crime kingpin Dogo Gide has tightened his stranglehold on Niger State, overpowering rival factions and unleashing a wave of violence across Nigeria’s Northcentral region, TruthNigeria has learned.
The escalating conflict has left communities in chaos, with Gide’s faction seizing control of key territories and resources in a brutal bid for dominance.
In a chilling video circulating online since January 23, 2025, Gide flaunts a cache of seized weapons, including AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and mobile phones. The warlord boasts of repelling an ambush by the Bello Sadiku (Boko Haram) faction in the Kurebe area, claiming to have killed around 20 of their fighters.
Gide condemns the Sadiku faction’s brutal tactics, accusing them of targeting innocent civilians under the guise of extremism.
Boko Haram: Gide’s Formidable Rival
Dogo Gide’s quest for supremacy in Niger State faces a formidable challenge from the ISIS insurgency known as Boko Haram (Western learning forbidden), officially known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād (JAS). According to Friday Agbo, a consultant with Alterconsult, a Northern Nigeria-based think tank, Boko Haram has emerged as the greatest threat to Gide’s ambitions.
“Boko Haram, or JAS, is the most significant threat to Dogo Gide’s control in Niger State and parts of Birnin Gwari,” Agbo said. “While Gide initially introduced the group to the region years ago, Boko Haram has since grown stronger, seizing vast territories and challenging his dominance.”
A recent peace agreement (amnesty for Fulani Terrorists ) in Birnin Gwari, a County center in Kaduna State, has led to unintended consequences. Top Fulani militants, including Yellow Jambros and Dan Karami, surrendered to the Kaduna state government, but this likely motivated terrorists to flood into Niger State.
“This peace has pushed Boko Haram members who have been displaced in Birnin Gwari to attempt to dominate areas in Niger,” said Agbo.
The temporary absence of bandit-terrorist overlords, apart from Gide, has allowed Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Ansaru to occupy previously controlled areas in Niger State, security experts tell TruthNigeria.
Dogo Gide’s Previous Areas of Control
Dogo Gide previously controlled many forest areas across Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger, according to Agbo. Some of the areas he previously controlled include Kizara and Magami, as well as parts of the Birnin Gwari forest. He also had influence over the Erana district of Shiroro County in Niger State. Additionally, he controlled areas such as Madada forest in Maru County of Zamfara State, Dansadau Emirate in Maru LGA, Bindin, Dan-Gulbi, Dan-Kurmi, and Dansadau town. However, his territories have been shrinking due to military pressure.
Areas of Conflict: A Bloody Turf War
The battle for control has turned Niger State into a war zone, with clashes erupting in communities like Kwaki, Chukuba, Kurebe, and Kuruba-Uduwa. The conflict has spilled over into other parts of Nigeria’s northern region, leaving a trail of destruction and displacement.
A recent clash in the Kwaki-Chukuba area saw Gide’s men deliver a decisive blow to Boko Haram, killing 20 fighters from the Mallam Sadiku-led faction. However, Gide’s group had suffered significant losses in an earlier clash in Kurebe, where nine of his men, including his biological brother, were killed.
The Abuja-Kaduna Expressway has become a danger zone, with Gide’s faction implicated in kidnappings and attacks on travelers. Areas such as Birnin Gwari and the western border between Niger and Kaduna States, and the Dansadau area, are also camps of Gide’s ally, Kachalla (“Boss leader”) Ali.
The Prize: Mineral Resources
The fight for Niger State is not just about territorial control—it’s a battle for economic dominance. The region’s fertile soil and favorable climate make it an agricultural hub, producing crops such as rice, maize, and soybeans.
“Whoever controls these areas can dictate to farmers what to produce, how much to produce, and what price to sell at,” Agbo explained. “This gives them significant economic power and leverage over the local population.”
“By controlling these resources, Gide and his network can generate significant revenue,” Agbo said. “This funds their operations, recruits new members, and bribes officials to turn a blind eye to their activities.”
TruthNigeria reported in 2024 that Gide’s gang members extort “rent” payments from Zamfara farmers as well as “taxes” for the privilege of selling their produce. The estimated revenues extracted by all bandit gangs controlling agriculture in Zamfara amounts to $10 million yearly.
Foreign terrorist gangs entering Niger State
Nigeria is facing a looming terrorist threat, as the notorious terror kingpin is being courted by Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda affiliate. This alliance has provided Gide with significant resources, including men, weapons, and cash, to further his extremist agenda.
“Ansaru has provided money and logistics to Gide, who is gradually buying into Ansaru’s ideology of Islamization of Nigeria,” warned David Onyillokwu Idah, Director of the International Human Rights Commission.
The implications of this alliance are dire, and Nigeria’s failure to address this issue may have far-reaching consequences. “If Nigeria fails to address this issue, it may lead to increased activities of foreign terrorist organizations in Nigeria,” Idah cautioned.
“Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISS) could move its base to the northwest of Nigeria,” Idah said.
A recent publication by Wikki Times, a Nigerian online newspaper, documents that some Chinese mining firms operating illegally in Niger State are funding the criminal activity of Gide, and in return, the terrorist gives them protection.
Chinese-affiliated mining companies, Eso Terra Investment Limited and Majelo Global Resources Limited, have been secretly bribing the Dogo Gide terror group to access mining sites in Niger State.
The amount involved is said to be three million Nigerian naira every week according to Wikki Times.
The bribes, including motorcycles, ensure that mining operations continue uninterrupted, lining the pockets of terrorists and undermining national security.
The investigation by Wikki Times reveals that despite the presence of terror groups such as the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, illegal mining activities have continued in Kurebe and surrounding villages.
This revelation exposes the dark underbelly of Nigeria’s illegal mining sector, where foreign entities are complicit in fuelling insecurity and terrorism.
Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
