Armed Banditry, Coercive Approach and Human Security in the Northwest Nigeria.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Armed Banditry, Coercive Approach and Human Security in the Northwest Nigeria.

Ibrahim Abdullahi
PhD. Candidate – Conflict, Peace and Strategic Studies (CPS), Department of Political Science
Nile University of Nigeria

Abstract: Localized banditry had swiftly grown with a bush fire effect consuming almost the entire Northwest geo-political region of Nigeria in recent times, its rapid transformation to becoming a more deadly attrition, and the potential of overturning the socio-economic, security and political wellbeing of the entire Northern region. This study examines the remote and immediate causes of tribalized security challenges as armed banditry, with a special interest from the aftermath of 2015 elections and the emergence of Muslim, Hausa-Fulani President, with an anti-corruption inclination, which coincided with unprecedented diverse uprisings and security impasses. The study also examines the armed banditry trend, extent of their appalling activities and how it affects socio-economic wellbeing within the affected region. The study further assesses the appropriateness and effectiveness of coercive approach to such localized upheavals, leveraging on propositions of Securitization (Copenhagen) Theorist, whose primary assumptions are hinged around multifaceted approach to security; and their justification for taking extraordinary and rule breaking measures in handling insecurity. The study further explores effectiveness of forcible approaches in other context through a peer-review analysis to infer likely outcome of current strategy applied by Nigeria. The study offers more suitable solutions and proffer practical policy recommendations. Most recent studies on the subject matter would be studied and credible data from existing research would be reviewed.

Keywords: Armed Banditry, Military Solution, Human Security, Northwest, Nigeria

I. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Nigeria has recently seen a significant impediment in its socio-economic growth, owing to the emergence of several security threats, including armed banditry, abduction, insurgency, pastoralists/farmer conflict posing a serious threat to the country’s national security (Akinbi, 2015). States like Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara amongst others, are affected by these increasing security challenges (Mahmoud, 2021). According to Olufemi (2015), about 462 trillion Naira has been spent on national security by Nigerian administrations in the last five years. The government’s efforts to bring the threat to an end in order to avert a total breakdown of law and order appear to have failed to produce the expected beneficial outcome, (Olufemi, 2015).
The term “banditry” refers to the presence or prevalence of armed robbery or other forms of violent crime. It entails the use of force, or the threat of force, to frighten someone with the purpose to rob, rape, or murder them. Banditry is a crime committed against people (Adewuyi, 2021). In modern societies, it has become a widespread genre of crime as well as a source of violence (Nigeria Watch, 2011). In modern Nigeria, rural banditry linked to cattle rustling has become a serious public policy concern. It refers to the theft of cattle and animals from herders, as well as livestock raiding from ranches. It is increasingly an economically based form of criminality perpetuated via informal networks, despite being driven by many demands and circumstances (Mahmoud, 2021). In the framework of subsistence and commercial pastoralism, rural banditry thrives as a form of ‘primitive’ cowherd accumulation. The upsetting of pastoralist transhuman activities led to the most alarming results. Rape, kidnapping, organized attacks and looting on villages and communities, are all common features of rural banditry (Adewuyi, 2021).

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