1st Edition
Banditry and Security Crisis in Nigeria
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 versus 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 Ph.D
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: The G5 and MNJTF in Comparative Perspective
Uchenna Simeon
Chapter 17: Conclusion: Mitigating Nigeria’s Banditry-Security Conundrum
Al Chukwuma Okoli & Saliou Ngom
Biography
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.
