A group researchers investigating the persistence of banditry in Nigeria has recommended that service chiefs prioritize non-kinetic approaches over kinetic ones.
They have called for enhanced interagency collaboration involving traditional institutions, security agencies, and community leaders to effectively address the issue.
These recommendations were presented during an online validation workshop, where the researchers shared findings from their study titled “Armed Bandits and Banditry in Nigeria: History, Character, and Panacea.” The research team, led by Professor Olajide Akanji and including Professors Rasidi Okunola, Bentina Mathias, Bukola Adesina, Nathaniel Danjibo, Adebimpe Adenugba, and Oludayo Tade, collected data from the Northwest, Northcentral, Southeast, and Southwest regions of Nigeria.
Key recommendations from the research include the need for regular deployment, monitoring, and surveillance of communities prone to bandit attacks. The study found that bandits often target communities either early in the morning, late at night, or on market days to hijack food, kidnap residents, and displace communities.
The researchers also urged federal and state governments to ensure the long-term rehabilitation and resettlement of banditry victims.
They emphasized the importance of prioritizing the welfare of security personnel deployed to bandit-affected areas and recommended government investment in technology such as drones and satellite-enhanced surveillance to monitor hard-to-reach locations.
Parts of the research reads, “While banditry has led to displacement, unemployment and poverty in some of the affected communities, the affected people want government to also adopt non-kinetic alongside with kinetic approach by building community resilience through the provision of communication gadgets to community members for the purpose of gathering intelligence and reporting incidences.
“Participants argued that the absence of such gadgets has hindered evidence gathering, reportage, and investigation of perpetrators in communities. They also wanted the government to empower communities and individuals to be able to defend themselves rather than feel helpless when attacked.
“The research participants also called for the creation of community policing to promptly attend to bandit attacks in local communities more effectively. More importantly, communities prone to bandit attacks need regular security awareness and sensitisation training.”
The report highlighted the impact of banditry, including displacement, unemployment, and poverty in affected communities.
The researchers advocated for a combination of non-kinetic and kinetic approaches to build community resilience, including the provision of communication gadgets for intelligence gathering and incident reporting.
They also recommended empowering communities to defend themselves and establishing community policing to respond more effectively to bandit attacks.
Additionally, the study suggested imposing strict penalties, including the death penalty, for bandits and their informants within communities to serve as a deterrent.
It also identified several shortcomings in the government’s response to banditry, including the release and return of arrested bandits to their communities, which has eroded trust in the legal and security systems.
Other issues include the failure to implement decisions reached during investigations, delays in aid delivery to victims, and inadequate support for long-term rehabilitation and resettlement.
The validation workshop was attended by representatives from the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Airforce, the Office of the National Security Adviser, UNDP, and Amotekun from Oyo and Ekiti states, among other stakeholders.
