Does Nigeria Have Diamonds? What the Evidence Shows

No diamond occurrence has been confirmed in Nigeria. A 2023 peer-reviewed gemstone review in the Journal of Geology & Geophysics lists the stones Nigeria mines commercially, says diamond is missing from that list, and adds that the many diamond specimens offered by dealers are believed to be misidentified or fake (Omotayo, Ajilore and Adeyemi, 2023). Nigeria also has no row in the Kimberley Process production table for 2025, which counts 98.8 million carats of rough diamonds worldwide (Kimberley Process, Annual Global Summary 2025). The only real geological lead is a kimberlite pipe near Kafur in Katsina State, plus six suspected pipes found by geophysics in 2021. Those are drilling targets, not a diamond find.

This page is written for consultants and licence holders who get asked “is there diamond in Nigeria?” It sets out the evidence, the Kafur lead, what Nigeria does produce, how Nigeria compares with West African diamond producers, how to test a claim, and what a proper search would involve. A diamond value calculator at the end lets you test a deposit idea with your own numbers.

Does Nigeria have diamonds? What the evidence shows

Three kinds of evidence matter: published geology, trade records and physical samples. On all three, the answer today is “not proven”.

• Published geology. The 2023 review above covers the gemstones of Nigeria state by state. It names tourmaline, sapphire, ruby, emerald, aquamarine, beryl, amethyst, fluorite, topaz, garnet and zircon as the stones mined in commercial quantities, and states that no diamond occurrence has been confirmed.
• Trade records. The Kimberley Process (KP) is the system that tracks rough diamonds across borders. Nigeria is not on its 2026 participants list, and it has no entry in the 2024 or 2025 public statistics tables (KP participants page, read 26 October 2026).
• Physical samples. None of the papers and statistics cited on this page reports a measured diamond grade (carats per tonne) from a Nigerian deposit. Without a grade there is no deposit, only a rumour.

The old advice that diamonds occur as “alluvial” stones, meaning loose stones washed into river gravels, in Nasarawa, Plateau or Benue is not backed by a confirmed occurrence. Those central states are real gem country, but the gems are tourmaline, sapphire, aquamarine, topaz and zircon, not diamond (see the look-alike section below).

Why Nigeria is missing from the Kimberley Process figures

The Kimberley Process has 60 participants representing 86 states, with the European Union counted as one participant (KP participants page). Participants may trade rough diamonds only with one another, and an exporter in a participant country needs a KP certificate for each rough parcel (KP FAQ). Producing participants report carats and value, and the public summary is published the following year (the 2025 summary is dated August 2026).

Chart

Rough diamond output of the eight largest producers

Million carats, 2025, Kimberley Process participants (Nigeria has no entry)

In the 2025 summary, world output was 98.8 million carats worth US$9.23 billion, an average of US$93 a carat, down from 107.9 million carats and US$9.53 billion in 2024 (KP 2024 summary). Russia, Botswana, Angola and Canada each mined more than 14 million carats. Nigeria appears in neither year. Two practical points follow for anyone handling a “Nigerian” parcel: there is no Nigerian production record to check it against, and no Nigerian authority appears on the participant list that could issue a KP certificate for it.

The Kafur kimberlite: Nigeria’s one geological lead

Kimberlite is the volcanic rock that brings diamonds up from the mantle in vertical pipes. Not every kimberlite carries diamonds, so finding a pipe is only the first step; it counts as a diamond source only after sampling shows stones. Northern Nigeria has one long-known pipe candidate. A 1979 geophysical paper described a “pipe suspectedly kimberlite” in the Precambrian schist belt of northern Nigeria (Verheijen and Ajakaiye, Geoexploration, 1979), and a 1989 resistivity and seismic survey studied the Masari/Kafur “Kimberlite” pipe, with the quotation marks in the paper’s own title, and its groundwater (Onugba, Bello and Ajakaiye, Journal of African Earth Sciences, 1989).

In 2021, Falebita, Falade and Adepelumi combined satellite gravity data with regional aeromagnetic data over the Kafur-Masari-Malumfashi area. They report circular to oval magnetic anomalies that match concealed pipes, confirm the Kafur pipe and outline six other suspected kimberlitic pipes, and call the region a potential kimberlite field and a set of targets for follow-up surveys (Results in Geophysical Sciences, 2021). Kafur and Malumfashi are both in Katsina State (Kafur local government area). The abstract describes geophysical anomalies only and reports no diamond count; we read the abstract, not the full text. Read it as a reason to sample, not a reason to buy stones.

Why geology makes Nigerian diamonds a long shot, not an impossibility

Diamond-bearing kimberlites are linked mainly to very old continental crust. The rule of thumb, called Clifford’s rule, ties kimberlite magmatism to Archean and Early Proterozoic crust, yet the authors of a 2013 paper note that productive primary diamond deposits also exist outside Archean cratons, so the rule holds for most cases rather than all (Aryasova and Khazan, Geofizicheskiy Zhurnal, 2013). A craton is a very old, stable block of continental crust.

Nigeria’s basement is a mix. It includes Archean migmatites and gneisses and Proterozoic schists, intruded by Pan-African granites and by Jurassic alkaline ring dykes (Omotayo et al., 2023). That mix neither rules diamonds in nor out, which is why exploration, not argument, has to settle the question. The same review notes widespread, severe lateritic weathering, which leaves thick decomposed rock at the surface and is why hard-rock mining is uncommon in Nigeria’s gem districts.

What Nigeria really mines: gems, tin, tantalum and gold

Nigeria is a serious minerals country, just not for diamonds. The gemstone review calls it the most important gemstone producer in Western Africa and names Kaduna, Oyo, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba as the states with the best stones. It also warns that most gem mining is informal, with hand-dug pits, and that no production records are kept (Omotayo et al., 2023). The USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 give Nigerian mine output in these two metal tables:

Source: USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Tin and Tantalum; shares are our arithmetic from the rounded USGS totals.

Gold is the other large story, and it is where “Nigerian diamond” sellers often borrow credibility. The SWISSAID African Gold Report (November 2024) gives declared artisanal gold of 1.96 tonnes in 2022 against an estimated 14.3 to 15.6 tonnes a year undeclared in the early 2020s, and industrial output of 3.0 tonnes in 2022 from the Segilola mine, the country’s first industrial gold mine, which poured its first gold in 2021 (309 kg) and began commercial production in early 2022 (African Gold Report: Nigeria). The Federal Ministry of Environment’s 2021 mercury plan puts artisanal output at an estimated 16.26 tonnes a year, according to the same report. For how licences and satellite targets work for gold in Nigeria, see our guide to gold exploration in Nigeria.

▶ Nigeria’s gold story: artisanal and industrial gold, opportunity and challenges (12:46). · 12:46

How West African diamond producers compare

Producers in West and Central Africa show what a real producer looks like in the KP tables. Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire all report small but measurable output, and the numbers moved sharply between 2024 and 2025. Sierra Leone fell from 574,000 to 122,000 carats and Ghana from 333,000 to 200,000, while Cameroon rose from 11,000 to 15,000 (KP 2025 summary).

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Average value of rough output, 2025

US$ per carat, as reported by the producer to the Kimberley Process

Chart

Small West and Central African producers, 2024 and 2025

Thousand carats of rough diamonds, Kimberley Process participants reporting production

Value per carat varies even more than volume. Liberia averaged US$234 a carat in 2025 and Sierra Leone US$160, while Ghana averaged US$35 and Cameroon US$16. For comparison, the Democratic Republic of the Congo averaged about US$5 a carat on 8.9 million carats. A big carat count with low quality is worth little, which is why a parcel’s grade and quality matter more than the headline weight.

Ghana is the best West African example of why volumes swing. A USGS assessment of the Birim and Bonsa alluvial fields calculated a production capacity of 765,000 carats a year from the number of workers and their productivity, and noted that real output depends on diamond prices, seasonal workers and weather (USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5045). Against that 2010 capacity estimate, Ghana’s 2025 KP output of 200,400 carats is about a quarter.

How to test a “Nigerian diamond” before anyone pays

Consultants are often handed a photo, a pouch of stones or a rough-diamond offer with a price. A sensible check has four parts.

1. Ask for the certificate chain. A rough parcel from a participant country carries a KP certificate. None can come from Nigeria, because it is not on the participants list.
2. Suspect the common look-alikes. The gemstone review points out that colourless zircon resembles diamond, and that topaz is often used as a diamond substitute. Both are mined in Nigeria: zircon around Jos, Rafin Gabas, Antan and Nisama, and topaz around Akwanga, Jenta, Bauchi and Jos (Omotayo et al., 2023).
3. Send the stone to an independent laboratory. A gemmological laboratory can identify the material in a day. A sample that is not diamond ends the discussion at once.
4. Ask where it was dug. A real find has coordinates, a licence number and a sampling record. If the seller cannot give them, treat the offer as unverified.

Never pay in advance for a “diamond parcel” you have not had tested, and never carry unexplained stones across a border.

How a real diamond search works, step by step

Diamond exploration is a funnel: cheap, wide screening first, expensive drilling last. The Kafur work follows the first two steps.

Infographic

A diamond search in 5 steps

1. 1Desk studyCollect geology maps, old reports and licence data.
2. 2Regional geophysicsMagnetic and gravity surveys find round anomalies that can be pipes.
3. 3Stream samplingIndicator mineral grains point back toward a kimberlite source.
4. 4DrillingCore or bulk samples measure diamond content in carats per tonne.
5. 5ValuationStones are valued and, in a participant country, exported with a KP certificate.

1. Desk study. Collect geology maps, old reports and licence data for the area.
2. Regional geophysics. Magnetic and gravity surveys, like those at Kafur, find round anomalies that can be pipes. Our guide to geomagnetic survey specifications explains line spacing and flying height.
3. Stream-sediment sampling. Heavy mineral grains that travel with kimberlite, such as pyrope garnet, chromite, magnesian ilmenite and chromium diopside, are called indicator minerals (overview of kimberlite indicator minerals). Our guide to diamond exploration from indicator grains to kimberlite pipes covers this step in detail.
4. Drilling and bulk sampling. Core or large-diameter drilling tests the pipe and measures diamond content in carats per tonne.
5. Valuation and certification. Stones are cleaned, sized, valued and, in a participant country, exported with a KP certificate.

Satellite data sits at the start of this funnel. It can map surface geology, fault lines, drainage, soil and vegetation patterns, and rank ground for follow-up before field crews go out; it does not see diamonds, and kimberlite pipes buried under laterite need geophysics and sampling. Farmonaut’s satellite screening is built for that early ranking step, and its results are exploration targets that sit ahead of any resource estimate. The Kafur area is the kind of target that satellite and geophysical data could help rank. For the world’s leading mines, see our list of the top gold, copper and diamond mines, and for how remote data fits mineral work more broadly, satellite-based mineral detection.

▶ How satellites are used to screen ground in Nigeria, shown on a lithium case study (10:49). · 10:49

Holding an exploration licence in Nigeria

Under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007, all minerals in, under or upon land in Nigeria are vested in the Government of the Federation. The Mining Cadastre Office grants exploration licences, and one licence may cover up to 200 square kilometres. It runs for three years and can be renewed twice for two further years each, if the holder has met its minimum work commitments. Small-scale mining leases cover between 5 acres and 3 square kilometres (Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007, FAOLEX copy). The Act sets separate qualification rules for each title, so confirm which rules apply to your company with the regulator before filing. Our guide to the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office and mineral titles walks through the filing steps.

Enforcement matters too. The Federal Ministry of Information reported that the mining marshals corps recovered 98 sites and arrested 327 suspects in its first year, to March 2025 (Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation). Any diamond project should start from a valid, mapped title and the landowner’s consent.

▶ Can a foreigner get a small-scale mining licence in Africa? The three routes explained (5:16). · 5:16

Try a diamond deposit value calculation

Use the calculator below to test an idea such as an alluvial gravel deposit. The key number is grade, the carats recovered per 100 cubic metres of gravel. Enter your own grade, recovery, price and processing cost; the defaults are round examples, not Nigerian data. As a price guide, the 2025 KP average ran from about US$5 a carat (DR Congo) to about US$344 a carat (Namibia), and the quality of a particular parcel decides where it falls.

Frequently asked questions

Does Nigeria have diamonds?

No occurrence has been confirmed. A 2023 review says no diamond has been confirmed in Nigeria and that dealer specimens are believed to be misidentified or fake. Geophysics has found a kimberlite pipe at Kafur and six suspected pipes, but none has a published diamond grade.

Is there diamond in Nigeria’s rivers?

No confirmed alluvial diamond deposit is documented. Gem minerals such as zircon, topaz, tourmaline and sapphire occur in Nigeria’s weathered rock and alluvial deposits, and some of them look like diamond to an untrained eye.

Where is diamond found in Nigeria?

Nowhere with a proven, published deposit. The only kimberlite lead is the Kafur-Masari-Malumfashi area in Katsina State, which is a target for follow-up surveys.

Does Nigeria mine diamonds?

No diamond mine is recorded in Nigeria, and it has no entry in the Kimberley Process production tables for 2024 or 2025. Its gem mining is informal and covers other stones.

Is Nigeria a Kimberley Process member?

Nigeria does not appear on the participants list on the Kimberley Process website, read 26 October 2026. Check the live list before relying on this, because participation can change.

What gems does Nigeria produce?

Tourmaline, sapphire, ruby, emerald, aquamarine, beryl, amethyst, fluorite, topaz, garnet and zircon are mined in commercial quantities, mostly by artisanal miners in Kaduna, Oyo, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba states.

Which West African countries produce diamonds?

In the 2025 Kimberley Process data, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire all reported rough diamond output. Ghana was the largest of these at 200,400 carats.

Does Nigeria have gold?

Yes. The African Gold Report estimates 14.3 to 15.6 tonnes a year of undeclared artisanal output in the early 2020s, plus 3.0 tonnes of industrial output in 2022 from the Segilola mine.

What is a kimberlite?

A kimberlite is a volcanic rock that forms pipes and carries diamonds up from the mantle in some cases. Not every pipe carries diamonds, so each one must be sampled.

How can I check whether a diamond offer from Nigeria is real?

Have an independent gemmological laboratory test the stone, ask for the coordinates, licence number and sampling record, and treat any KP certificate claimed from Nigeria as a red flag, since Nigeria is not on the participants list.

Can satellites find diamonds in Nigeria?

Not directly. Satellites map surface geology, structure and drainage to rank ground. Buried kimberlite pipes are tested by magnetic and gravity surveys, indicator-mineral sampling and drilling.

Who can get a mining licence in Nigeria?

The Mining Cadastre Office issues titles under the Minerals and Mining Act 2007. Qualification depends on the title type and the applicant, so confirm with the regulator. To map a licence area, you can request a quote through the mining query form or contact us.