Introduction: Unmasking armed banditry in Nigeria

This edited volume addresses three fundamental issues. First, it provides a background on the study of armed banditry in Nigeria, acknowledging the scarcity of literature in this emerging field. Achieving this has required unravelling the origins of armed banditry in Nigeria. As it explores the activities of armed banditry, the debate focuses on its historical context, socio-economic consequences, transnational dimensions, and the response to armed banditry. Second, it interrogates whether the scourge of armed banditry represents an emerging terrorist organisation with a distinct ideological orientation (if at all) or the emergence of another non-state armed group profiting from a criminal economy through acts of terror. Third, the book unpacks the emerging trends and operational nomenclature in response to Nigeria’s increasing concern about armed banditry. We assembled reputable scholars from diverse pedagogical orientations to explore Nigeria’s contemporary security challenges. Doing so accommodates multidisciplinary perspectives on investigating the phenomenon of armed banditry in Nigeria. In addition, this volume serves as a go-to source for scholars, policymakers, practitioners (donors and development partners), and students alike who are keen on understanding this phenomenon within the context of contemporary armed conflict in Africa and Nigeria’s spectrum.