Pills, substances and brigandage: Exploring the drug factor in Nigeria’s banditry crisis

Abstract

This paper examines the role of drugs in the prevailing banditry crisis in Nigeria. It does so against the deteriorating trajectory of the banditry crisis in northern Nigeria in which the issue of drugs and substances has been implicated. Existing studies on the subject matter have variously considered the ramifying dimensions of the banditry question, especially its complex nexuses to other organised crimes, such as terrorism, arms trafficking, illicit mining and mercenary militancy. Evidently, the linkage between banditry and illicit drug proliferation and (ab)use has been scarcely explored, hence the need for the present discourse. Using a qualitative method that relies on desk research and key informant interviews, the paper posits that the (ab)use of drugs and toxic substances by bandits has been a critical catalyst for the banditry crisis in Nigeria.