Successor militant networks ban 2027 elections and exploit billions in mineral wealth as security collapses
By Mary Kiara
ZAMFARA, Nigeria – Terror leader Muhammad Gwaska expelled the elderly in a Zamfara village on October 15 for refusing forced mine labour, forcing a punishing 15-kilometre walk to an abandoned clinic with no state aid.
Displaced and destitute, the villagers now shelter in an abandoned, dilapidated veterinary clinic, surviving on alms and sleeping on the streets.
The mass expulsion exposes a grim reality in northwest Nigeria: terror factions have replaced the state, turning lucrative artisanal gold fields into forced-labor camps.
“He sent for us to resume work at his mine, but we are old people and couldn’t go. Because of our refusal, he told us to leave” one of the expelled villagers told TruthNigeria.
“We left in haste without any of our belongings.”
The Illicit Gold Economy and Captive Labor
Following the 2024 military killing of notorious kingpin Halilu Sububu, Gwaska and fellow commander Ado Aleru inherited and expanded terrorist networks across Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina states.
Residents also say he forces communities into “peace deals,” under which villagers submit to him in exchange for being spared attacks, and that he has expanded with the help of Aleru, into neighboring Sokoto State.
Beneath the dry, dusty soil of the region lies an immense fortune, estimated by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Mining Growth Roadmap to hold up to 200 million ounces of gold. Rather than bringing prosperity, the mineral wealth has fueled a multi-million-dollar illicit economy that funds weapons, recruitment, and regional terror.
Federal officials have repeatedly highlighted this nexus.
“A lot of the banditry, terrorism, and insecurity that we associate with this mining sector are actually sponsored by illegal miners,” Dr. Henry Alake, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development told reporters.
Nigerian officials and local security reports frequently use terms like “banditry,” “bandits” and “insecurity” to describe rural armed gangs, though in December 2025, President Bola Tinubu designated kidnappers and violent armed groups as terrorists.
Banned Elections and Rising Defiance
Beyond seizing natural resources, terrorist commanders are asserting absolute political control over captive populations.
On October 13, Gwaska summoned community leaders from over two dozen villages to a forest summit in Bagega, issuing a direct threat regarding Nigeria’s democratic future.
“He said we were informants working with the government to eliminate his brothers,” a member of the community told TruthNigeria, explaining that Gwaska warned that the forthcoming 2027 elections would not be permitted in any territory under his control.
Taxation funds the structure.
“Terrorists are not only imposing taxes on farmers for access to their farms, farmers are also paying to harvest their crops,” Professor Tukur Baba, national publicity secretary of a farmers’ forum, said in a televised interview.
“The terrorists demand an upfront payment simply to clear land or plant seeds, and then return at the end of the season to demand a separate financial cut before allowing crops to be gathered.”
“They come to our markets, demand levies. If we refuse, they come back with violence,” Mohammed Sani, a resident of Dayau in Anka County, told TruthNigeria in an earlier interview.
The pattern is not confined to Zamfara.
In Kaduna State, residents paid about $368 in March 2026 to access their own farmlands, then another $294 in April under renewed threat.
Despite both payments, the militia returned and seized five farmers.
Fidelis Makama, a farmer, told TruthNigeria in an earlier interview that the community has reported every attack to the Nigerian Army, the police, and the Kaduna State Government. None has acted
The State Response
Local authorities appear caught flat-footed or unresponsive.
When contacted regarding the humanitarian crisis in Birnin Doki, the Divisional Police Officer in Anka, Aliyu Hassan, told reporters he was unaware of the mass expulsion.
Zamfara’s government has however acknowledged that banditry continues to disrupt daily life and says only an intervention from the federal intervention can halt attacks.
“These incidents have heightened public concern and affected the sense of safety among residents,” Mahmud Dantawasa, the State Commissioner for Information and Culture said while addressing reporters.
“The Zamfara Government continues to work closely with the federal government to strengthen security operations and address the threat of banditry,” he added.
Experts argue that conventional military raids are failing to dismantle these decentralized cells
“Partnership is significant in reducing violent extremism in northern Nigeria so that people can go to bed with peace of mind. That being said, the fact that the theater of war is reporting less engagement does not necessarily mean that we have completely eradicated violent extremism,” preventive counterterrorism expert Temitope Olodo told TruthNigeria.
“Border security must be reinforced to prevent foreign actors and Sahelian elements from crossing into Nigeria to wreak havoc. Immigration must actively remove unauthorized individuals administratively to protect local communities,” Olodo added.
“The Federal Government must stop dancing around the situation and officially declare a state of emergency on insecurity, focusing all energy on reclaiming territorial supremacy so farmers can be secure,” Baba added.
Mary Kiara reports on Terrorism and Religious Freedom Policy for TruthNigeria.
