By Stephen Olorunmonu Idowu
The Aredu Forest in Kogi State is a strategic, resource-rich, and now deeply troubled area. Information from the Federal Ministry of Solid Mineral Resources confirms what locals know: this forest holds one of the largest gold deposits in Nigeria. A simple search for “gold at Dogon Daji in Isanlu, Kogi State” offers a glimpse of this immense wealth.
Yet, tragically, the wealth of this land has attracted terror. The Aredu Forest has become a major hideout for bandits, threatening the peace and lives of host communities and connecting the dots between organized crime and Nigeria’s banditry crisis
A Forest of Hidden Wealth and Unseen Victims
Despite its massive gold reserves and deposits of other precious stones—which have been mined, both legally and illegally, since the colonial period—the host communities are conspicuously absent from Nigeria’s official Solid Mineral Resources map.
To understand the scope of the crisis, one must know the geography. The communities surrounding the forest in Yagba East LGA are Ilafin, Odogbe, Ilotin, Iye, Idofin, and Ido. The forest extends across local government boundaries, connecting to:
Yagba West: Including areas from Ejiba and the Kampe dam deeper to the Egbe/Isanlu Esa axis.
Kwara State: Bordering Agboro and Okolom in Edu Local Government.
Kabba/Lokoja: Connecting through Irunda Ile, Afunfun in Mopa Amuro, and Like Bunu to the Obajana/Abuggi forest.
Niger State: The forest’s northern reaches approach the River Niger and Baro Port, with Baro Port less than 100km from Ilafin, the headquarters of Yagba East Ward 10.
This vast, interconnected forest, larger than many Nigerian states, is now a base for terror.
The Rise of Banditry and the Gold Connection
The influx of bandits into Aredu is a direct consequence of successful security pressure elsewhere.
After operations cleared out groups from Zamfara, Birnin Gwari (Kaduna), and Shiroro (Niger State), the criminals simply migrated. They crossed the River Niger and settled in the Aredu Forest, choosing a location rich in gold and poor in security presence.
The link between illegal mining and banditry is no coincidence; it is a symbiotic relationship.
My study of the issue leads to one firm conclusion: Wherever you find serious illegal mining, you will find banditry thriving.
These are not the activities of small-scale artisanal miners seeking a daily wage. This is organized crime using banditry as a cover. The gangs mine gold and precious stones without the monitoring or supervision of the Ministry of Solid Mineral Resources. If this were not an organized criminal enterprise, how would helicopters be seen hovering over our forests, and why would security operatives struggle to flush them out?
A Humanitarian and Security Emergency
Five years ago, a direct vehicle from Isanlu to Kaduna would have been rare. Today, with the migration, I saw an influx of people traveling by bus in and out of Isanlu to Zamfara just this past August. This traffic is a sign of the deeper criminal network now operating in our region.
The bandits are terrorizing the host communities with impunity, engaging in killing and mass kidnappings for ransom. Although military presence exists at Egbe and Patigi in Kwara State (about 50km from Ilafin), the Oyi River makes the route non-motorable, limiting rapid deployment. Instead, the bandits, using locals returning from Bida on motorbikes via farm routes as human shields, are pushing closer to the gold sites, using the communities as covers by day and launching attacks at will.
The operational scale of these bandits suggests that many of the nation’s wanted criminals are now hiding in the inaccessible depths of the Aredu Forest.
I am using this medium to make an urgent plea to the Federal Government and the Kogi State Government: Our people are tired of the siege. We are weary of the killings and the kidnappings. Please come and save our land and our people from the terror fueled by the promise of gold.
Stephen Olorunmonu Idowu is a Historian /Political Commentator 08055804421. [email protected]