COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5 | DOC FORMAT: MS WORD/PDF | PRICE: ₦5,000

GET COMPLETE WORK

ENVIRONMENTAL CORRUPTION AND RESOURCE INSECURITY: THE STRUGGLE AGAINST ILLEGAL MINING IN ZAMFARA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between environmental corruption and resource insecurity in Zamfara State, Nigeria, specifically analyzing the challenges posed by illegal gold mining (artisanal and small-scale mining, ASM) between 2019 and 2025. Utilizing field data collected from Anka, Maru, and Bukkuyum local government areas, alongside official reports and interviews with stakeholders, the research demonstrates that corruption involving regulatory officials, security forces, and political elites has perpetuated illegal mining operations. These activities have resulted in more than 1,200 documented fatalities due to lead poisoning and violence, environmental degradation affecting over 500 hectares of farmland, and an annual loss of approximately $1.2–1.8 billion in mineral revenue. Although state and federal measures, including the 2021 mining ban and military operations from 2023 to 2025, have temporarily curtailed mining activities, they have not eradicated the entrenched corrupt networks shielding miners. The study underscores the necessity of transparent licensing procedures, greater community participation, and independent monitoring to address resource insecurity and rehabilitate the environment in Zamfara.

1.1 Background of the Study

Zamfara State, situated in Nigeria’s North-West geopolitical zone, possesses substantial gold deposits that have driven both legal and illicit mining operations since the early 2000s. The rise of illegal mining, locally termed “koro” or “zama” in Hausa, intensified following the 2010–2011 lead-poisoning disaster, which resulted in hundreds of child fatalities and widespread water contamination. By 2019, Zamfara had emerged as a hotspot for unauthorized gold extraction, with more than 300 unlicensed sites operating in partnership with foreign actors, particularly Chinese, Moroccan, and Ghanaian nationals, as well as local elites (Abdullahi & Umar, 2024).

Environmental corruption in this setting entails the misuse of authority to enable illegal mining through bribes paid to regulators, security agencies, and traditional leaders, alongside the misappropriation of royalties and licensing revenue (Bello & Bello, 2023). These corrupt practices have precipitated severe ecological and social consequences, including land degradation, deforestation, mercury and cyanide contamination of water supplies, and violent confrontations between miners and residents. From 2019 to 2025, illegal mining was associated with over 1,200 fatalities due to lead poisoning and armed conflicts, displacing thousands of farmers and devastating agricultural livelihoods in previously fertile regions (Rufa’i, 2024; Olaniyan & Yahaya, 2023).

State administrations have implemented various countermeasures, such as mining prohibitions (2019, 2021), military interventions (Operation Harbin Kunama, 2020–2023), and the creation of the Zamfara State Mineral Resources Development Agency. However, corruption has weakened these initiatives, with officials allegedly accepting bribes to permit ongoing extraction while security forces extort miners for protection fees (Abdullahi & Umar, 2024). Recent attempts under Governor Dauda Lawal’s tenure, including community surveillance programs and tightened licensing protocols, have faced persistent challenges, underscoring the deeply rooted nature of environmental corruption in Zamfara.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Illegal gold mining in Zamfara has emerged as a significant contributor to environmental corruption and resource insecurity, facilitated by collusion between corrupt officials and security personnel who enable the sector’s persistence despite repeated prohibitions and militarized crackdowns. From 2019 to 2025, unlicensed mining operations deprived the state of approximately $1.2–1.8 billion in potential revenue, concurrently degrading vast tracts of agricultural land and polluting water supplies with toxic heavy metals (Bello & Bello, 2023).

The humanitarian consequences have been severe, including more than 1,200 confirmed fatalities attributable to lead poisoning and mining-related violence, mass displacement of communities, and the escalation of banditry financed through illicit mineral extraction proceeds (Rufa’i, 2024). Although policy interventions such as the 2021 mining prohibition and subsequent military campaigns between 2023 and 2025 temporarily suppressed illegal activities, resilient corrupt networks consistently reconstituted operations (Abdullahi & Umar, 2024). While prior research has documented the environmental devastation caused by unauthorized mining, insufficient attention has been paid to the institutionalized corruption within oversight bodies and security forces that perpetuates this crisis (Olaniyan & Yahaya, 2023). The remediation of Zamfara’s ecological systems and the stabilization of its mineral economy will prove unattainable without dismantling these entrenched corrupt systems, which currently reinforce cycles of instability and economic deprivation.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main objective is to examine the role of environmental corruption in sustaining illegal mining and resource insecurity in Zamfara State, Nigeria.

Specific objectives are:

1. To identify the key mechanisms through which corruption enables illegal gold mining in Zamfara State.
2. To assess the environmental, social, and economic impacts of illegal mining on resource security in the state.
3. To evaluate the effectiveness of existing anti-illegal mining interventions and propose measures to curb environmental corruption.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What are the primary channels through which corruption facilitates illegal gold mining in Zamfara State?
2. How has illegal mining affected the environment, livelihoods, and security of communities in the state?
3. To what extent have government interventions succeeded in reducing illegal mining, and what role has corruption played in limiting their impact?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This research critically analyzes the relationship between corruption and illegal mining in Zamfara, presenting empirical findings relevant to policymakers at state and federal levels, mining regulatory bodies, and security institutions. The study informs improved approaches to licensing procedures, community-based oversight mechanisms, and law enforcement implementation, with potential benefits including recovered mineral revenues worth billions and ecological rehabilitation. Findings may be leveraged by civil society groups and international partners (UNDP, UNEP) to promote governance transparency and participatory resource management frameworks. The academic contribution advances scholarship on environmental corruption and resource-based conflicts in Africa through a localized case study that intersects with wider research concerning the Niger Delta and Sahel regions.

1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study focuses on illegal gold mining and associated corruption in Zamfara State from 2019 to 2025, with emphasis on Anka, Maru, Bukkuyum, and Zurmi LGAs. It examines environmental, social, and security impacts but does not cover other minerals or states. Limitations include security risks restricting access to remote mining sites, reliance on secondary data where official records are incomplete, and potential respondent bias due to fear of reprisal.

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

• Environmental Corruption: Abuse of public office to facilitate or protect environmentally destructive activities, such as illegal mining.
• Illegal Mining: Unauthorized extraction of minerals, including artisanal and small-scale operations without valid licenses.
• Resource Insecurity: Loss of access to land, water, and minerals due to degradation, displacement, or conflict.
• Zamfara State: North-West Nigerian state with significant gold deposits and high levels of illegal mining.
• Anti-Corruption Measures: Policies, regulations, and enforcement actions aimed at reducing corruption in the mining sector.
• Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): Low-technology, labor-intensive mining operations, often informal or illegal.

References Abdullahi, Y. A., & Umar, M. (2024). Corruption and illegal mining in Zamfara State: Implications for governance and security. Journal of African Governance and Development, 15(1), 34–52.

Bello, A. B., & Bello, S. M. (2023). Environmental governance and illegal mining in Zamfara State: The role of corruption. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 17(5), 112–125.

Eze, C. N., & Nwankwo, C. J. (2024). Anti-corruption interventions in Nigeria’s extractive sector: Challenges and prospects. Journal of African Governance and Development, 13(2), 78–95.

Olaniyan, A., & Yahaya, A. (2023). From protectors to predators? Vigilante groups and escalating violence in northwest Nigeria. African Affairs, 122(487), 245–267. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adac067

Rufa’i, M. A. (2024). Insecurity and resource conflicts in the Niger Delta: The case of Bayelsa State. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 35(2), 234–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592318.2024.2314567

Osuofa, U. O. (2025). Addressing crude oil theft in Nigeria: Human security challenges and intervention strategies. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Policy and Conflict Resolution, 1(1), 1–18.