Has Banditry Come to Stay? Triggers, Impacts and Failures of Responses to Banditry in Northern Nigeri

Abstract

This article examines the triggers, impacts and why responses to banditry has failed in northern Nigeria. It relied solely on secondary materials elicited from literature, the social media and media reports as well as documents from governmental and non-governmental organisations. The article is limited to the assessment of banditry on the northern part of Nigeria. The article finds that the triggers of banditry are multifaceted ranging from poverty, unemployment, weak institutions and climate change with its impacts on lives, livelihood, displacement and refugees as well as infrastructural decay. It has enormous impacts on lives, loss of livelihoods, infrastructures and institutions and displacements, food and nutritional security, and refugees. In spite of the responses from stakeholders from federal to local governments and public reactions against the leaders and security agents; much have not been achieved to end the phenomenon. The factors responsible for this are poor funding, unemployment, saboteurs and lucrativeness of banditry and politicisation of banditry among others. The article, hinged on the fragile state framework argues that until the triggers of banditry are addressed, the threat may stay for a long time. The article concludes that since the triggers of banditry like other insecurity is driven by State fragility, government must address the symptoms of fragility in the Nigerian State. The article recommends three levels of interventions, short term, and middle term and long term. This include addressing unemployment, reforming and building institutions and having the political will.