Armed banditry’s nature and character on human security in Niger state, Nigeria

Abstract

With an extensively porous boundary with Northwest and Northeast reputed for illicit mining and terror cells activities, the impact of banditry on the agrarian communities in Niger State could be seen from cattle rustling, kidnapping of school children, barn and market raids, market levies, and taxes, the inability of lone farming endeavours amongst others. It was against this background that this study engaged the Queer Ladder Theory in a survey study to examine the effects of armed banditry’s nature and character on human security in Niger State, Nigeria. This study focused on Niger State, in the North Central geopolitical region of Nigeria whose population is 5,556,200. The population of this study is large and finite, hence this study employs the Taro Yamani sampling technique that gave a sample size of 400 respondents. The study purposively choose banditry hotbeds in six LGAs of Kontagora and Mariga LGAs which fall under the Niger North senatorial district, Gbako, and Lapai LGAs areas fall under Niger South senatorial district while Rafi and Shiroro LGAs are situated in Niger East senatorial district. The study's target respondents are bandit victims and families (identified by Police reports and Ward's head), clerics, farmers, herders, youth leaders, Traditional leaders, law enforcement agents, transporters, public servants particularly teachers and school administrators, farmers, vigilante groups, within these locations. The study revealed that armed banditry in Niger State is not ideologically driven but sheer means of material and financial acquisitions through outlawry. While the character of banditry is executed through violence and weapon amassment of which porous border and neighbouring State mining activities serve as a purveyor. Based on these findings, the study concludes that acts of good governance by all tiers of government that evolve employment of youths could mitigate against banditry, also study concludes that enabled community-oriented policing will go a long way in addressing banditry since every act of banditry is localized and community-oriented policing is the closest to the communities. The study recommends that tackling corruption at all tiers of government could mitigate the get-rich-quick syndrome, as tackling corruption could lead to equitable distribution of wealth. The study also recommends that government reinforce the country’s border patrol system, particularly against gun-running and illegal immigrants whose activities aggravate banditry in the Niger State.