Untold story of the expanding armed banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest: linking the communal-level collaborators

Abstract

This study interrogates the often de-emphasised and understudied communal-level dimension of the armed banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest region. Data collection was based on mixed methods and documentary evidence. The study dissects the communal dimension of the expanding armed banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest from three communal-level perspectives, namely (1) wholesale farmland allocation, (2) poor vigilante governance and (3) bandits’ covert alliance with some traditional authorities for intelligence and benefits sharing. It concludes that these underlying communal-linked factors are implicated in the pervasiveness of armed banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest region. The study recommends livestock reformation by implementing all the extant grazing reserves, forestry laws and policies.

Keywords:

• Nigeria's Northwest
• armed banditry
• bandits
• farmland allocation
• vigilantism
• intelligence sharing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Interview with six elite farmers aged 40–65 in Gusau, 5 May 2021.

2 Interview with a 60-year-old prominent party stalwart and agro-pastoralist in Daura village, Zurmi LGA, 10 April 2021.

3 Interview with eight Fulani herders aged 25–50 in Zurmi, Maru, Gusau, Bungudu, Gummi, Talata Mafara and Shinkafi LGA, 10–20 May 2021.

4 Interview with a 45-year-old member of the Meyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Gusau, 10^th April 2021.

5 Interview with 10 agro-pastoralists aged 40–65 in Gusau, 7 April 2021.

6 Interview with a 36-year-old Fulani herder in Gummi, 5 May 2021.

7 Interview with four elite and three local farmers aged 40–65 in Gusau, 5 May 2021.

8 Interview with three village heads and three district heads aged 55–70 in Maru, Anka and Birnin Magaji LGAs, 15 May 2021.

9 Interview with a 50-year-old lecturer at the Federal University, Gusau, 7 April 2021.

10 Interviews with five Fulani leaders aged 50–70 in Kwara, Ruwan Tofa, Babban Rafi and Jangebe villages in Shinkafi, Maru, Gummi and Talata Mafara LGAs, 10–11 May 2021.

11 Interview with a 60-year-old Fulani leader in Shinkafi, 11 May 2021.

12 Interview with five repentant Fulani bandits aged 25–50 in Gusau, 15 May 2021.

13 Interview with a 30-year-old repentant bandit and Fulani herder in Gusau, 15 May 2021.

14 Interview with a 60-year-old village head in Babban Rafi, Gummi LGA, 21 May 2021.

15 Interview with a 50-year-old security expert in Gusau, 5 July 2021.

16 Interview with four senior military officers and four police personnel in Gusau, 18–25 June 2021.

17 Interview with a senior military officer in Gusau, 25 June 2021.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelechukwu Charles Obi

Kelechukwu Charles Obi is Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a specialisation in public administration. His research interests cover public policy, methodology, governance and development studies. He has published in reputable national and international journals, and has attended several academic conferences. He is a member of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA). Email: [email protected]

Victor Chidubem Iwuoha

Victor Chidubem Iwuoha currently serves as Visiting Research Fellow (Scientific), Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany. He formerly served a visiting research fellowship at the Institute of African Studies, University of Bayreuth, Germany. He is also Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His area of speciality is international politics. Email: [email protected]