Abstract
Nigeria has confronted several security conundrums in recent years, including armed banditry, which poses a severe threat to the north-west and the entire nation. North-west Nigeria has been hit by an unprecedented wave of kidnappings, maiming, killings, population displacements, cattle rustling, and disrup-tion of socio-economic activities due to the rise of armed ban-dits in the region. These events have created a climate of uncertainty that has become a cause for concern for the govern-ment and the citizenry. Relying on secondary sources of data, this article examines the causes, manifestations, and dimensions of armed banditry in north-west Nigeria, and its security impli-cations. It provides a survey of both the visible and less-visible actors in the conflict. The article argues that armed banditry in the north-west and other parts of Nigeria transcends pastoralist insurgency, as evident in the dominant narratives, considering the multiplicity of complexly connected causal factors, actors, manifestations, and dimensions that are present in the threats posed by this development. The article also shows the negative impacts of armed banditry on human and national security in the region.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-28 |
Number of pages | 28 |
Journal | Democracy and Security |
Early online date | 17 Jan 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Early online - 17 Jan 2023 |