By Danjuma Amodu
ANKPA, Kogi State — Concern is mounting in Ankpa Local Government Area over a surge of undocumented miners and settlers in mineral-rich communities, with local leaders warning that the development could worsen insecurity if left unchecked.
In a letter to the Executive Chairman of Ankpa LGA this week, community stakeholder Jibrin Isiaka Okobo called for immediate profiling and monitoring of what he described as “Hausa-speaking settlers” entering coal mining areas under the guise of mining activities.
Okobo said many of the newcomers lack verifiable identification, making security tracking difficult in the event of a breach. He cited recent attacks in neighbouring Dekina LGA, where communities including Ebeje I and Ebeje II were reportedly overrun by militias days ago, as evidence of the growing threat in Kogi’s mineral belt.
“Communities like Okobo in Enjema district, and other coal mining areas within Ankpa are now heavily populated by these visitors and strangers,” Okobo wrote. “Nobody can confidently predict which community may become the next target if urgent preventive measures are not taken.”
The warning comes amid a wider pattern of banditry and militia violence in Nigeria’s mineral-rich localities. From Zamfara and Niger to parts of Kogi and Benue, unregulated mining sites have increasingly become flashpoints, with security agencies linking illicit mining to the financing and movement of armed groups. The lack of proper documentation and oversight at these sites has made it easier for criminal elements to blend in with legitimate miners and settlers.
Okobo stressed that his concern was not about restricting movement, noting that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to reside and conduct lawful business anywhere in the country. Instead, he urged the council to strengthen local security mechanisms in line with current national realities.
He called on the chairman to direct relevant authorities to document and profile all incoming miners and settlers, compel community leaders and landlords to provide information on tenants, and require those accommodating outsiders to sign undertakings to cooperate with security agencies if any incident occurs.
“These proactive steps, if taken, will greatly help in safeguarding lives and properties and preventing avoidable security challenges in our local government area,” he said.
Ankpa sits on significant coal deposits, and like other mineral-bearing areas in Kogi, has seen increased artisanal and small-scale mining activity in recent years. Residents say the influx of outsiders has accelerated in recent months, raising fears of a spillover from the violence seen in Dekina and other parts of the state.
As of press time, the Ankpa LGA chairman had not publicly responded to the letter.
