This book examines the growing phenomenon of armed banditry in Nigeria and its implication for national security.
Nigeria’s banditry crisis and deepening security challenges are fuelled by the existence of vast un(der)governed hinterland and trans-border spaces where various non-state armed groups operate unhindered and outside of the law, engaging in various forms of transnational crime. This book explores the activities of these groups to assess the nature and significance of banditry as a complex threat to security. It does so against the backdrop of reports of increased bandit attacks on farms, markets, mining sites, villages and rural communities, and the rising tide of violent crimes in Nigeria, especially the northern region. This book analyses the factors that are responsible for the emergence of banditry as a recent national and transnational security threat and outlines the contemporary dynamics of Nigeria’s banditry crisis and how it can be mitigated.
This book will be of interest to researchers and students in the field of African Studies, International Relations, Security and Strategic Studies, Political Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, as well as policymakers and practitioners interested in complex security threats and their implications in Nigeria and beyond.
PART I: THE SUBJECT MATTER AND CONTEXT Chapter 1: Introduction: Situating Banditry and Security Crisis in Nigeria Al Chukwuma Okoli & Saliou Ngom Chapter 2: Pastoralism, Farmer-Herder Conflicts and Banditry in the Western Sahel Peter Echewija Sule Chapter 3: Climate Change and Rural Violence in Northern Nigeria: A Discursive Reflection Al Chukwuma Okoli, Nsemba Edward Lenshie & Musa Aishat Suleiman Chapter 4: Governance Failure and Armed Banditry in Nigeria’s North West: Some Contextual Insights Tosin Osasona Chapter 5: Nigeria’s North West Bandits and their Strategic Logic Solomon Timothy Anjide Chapter 6: Banditry in Northwestern Nigeria: Complex Issues, Emerging Realities Noah Echa Attah & Babayo Sule Part II: INCIDENCE AND DYNAMICS Chapter 7: Herding Scapegoats, Framing Fulani: The Entanglements of Ethnic Conflict, Banditry, and Violent Extremism Ian Edgerly & Scott Edmondson Chapter 8: Manifestations of Banditry in Safana Area of Katsina State, North West Nigeria Suleiman Iguda Ladan Chapter 9: Armed Banditry and Humanitarian Crisis in Northern Nigeria Dare Leke Idowu & Oladiran Afolabi Chapter 10: Exploring Farmer-herder Conflict and the Banditry Crisis in North-Central Nigeria Plangshak Musa Suchi & Sallek Yak Musa Chapter 11: Banditry and Gendered Victimhood in Northern Nigeria: Women as Objects and Victims Damilola Taiye Agbalajobi & Saliou Ngom Part III: POLICY IMPLICATIONS, REMEDIES, AND SUBMISSION Chapter 12: Nigerian Government’s Counter-banditry Efforts in the North West: How Effective? Usman Sambo & Babayo Sule Chapter 13: Curbing Armed Banditry in Nigeria: The Imperative for Community Policing Bose Ibukunoluwa Olojede & Chigozie Joseph Nebeife Chapter 14: Drones and Counter-Banditry Operations in the Western Sahel: Strategic Prospects Francis Okpaleke & Al Chukwuma Okoli Chapter 15: The State and Counter Banditry in Nigeria: Strategies, Challenges and Prospects Ikenna Mike Alumona & Kingsley Maduka Onwuanabile Chapter 16: Armed Banditry and the Imperative for Collective Security in the Sahel Savanna: G5 and Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Comparative Perspective Uchenna Simeon Chapter 17: Conclusion: Mitigating Nigeria’s Banditry-Security Conundrum Al Chukwuma Okoli & Saliou Ngom
Al Chukwuma Okoli is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Political Science at The Federal University of Lafia, Nigeria. Saliou Ngom is a Researcher in the Department of Human Sciences at the Fundamental Institute of Black Africa (IFAN-CAD) at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal.
