![]() This is because arming civilians against them would be interpreted as a direct affront to their ability to wield force as nonstate actors. The immediate consequences are that it could further embolden armed bandits within the state. By calling on citizens to protect themselves against armed bandits, the Zamfara state government has essentially relinquished its monopoly over the use of force-it has given up on ensuring the safety and protection of its residents. The state government’s move attests to the desperate need for survival in a climate where sub-national entities have found themselves mostly incapacitated to provide any form of protection to lives and property without the overreliance on the federal security structures. ![]() The recent call by the Zamfara state government for its residents to pick up arms to protect themselves against armed bandits, a decision that clearly does not go down well with the military, could potentially lead to the proliferation of more untraceable weapons across the North West region. The call by the Zamfara state government for residents to pick up arms to protect themselves against bandits could lead to the proliferation of untraceable weapons across the North West region. These concerns have led to uncoordinated efforts by state governments to bring an end to the scourge of armed banditry, including the failed amnesty initiatives targeted at so-called repentant armed bandits, and other, more stringent measures by the federal government, such as disabling telecommunications in areas where armed bandits are known to operate. Numbering in the thousands-with as many as 30,000 armed bandits in Zamfara, the epicenter of the crisis, and five other northern states-these bandits have also imposed eviction notices on local inhabitants in addition to perpetuating acts of sexual violence against women and girls. This policy decision could potentially trigger cooperation between armed bandits and terrorists. This year, Nigeria’s federal government proscribed armed bandits as terrorists, paving the way for the use of force against these groups, as part of its broader military strategy. ![]() This resulted in the formation of local vigilante groups by farmers to provide protection against armed bandits. The trend of armed banditry in Zamfara state and across the North West region partly has its origins in Nigeria’s farmer-herder crisis, which has forced herders into farmlands through indiscriminate grazing, thereby often damaging farmers’ crops in the process and creating heightened tensions and conflict. The prospect of armed bandits collaborating with terrorist groups is only tenable if they have common goals and objectives under an organized hierarchical leadership structure. However, due to differences in objectives, this sort of alliance is not expected to take firm root anytime soon. ![]() There is increasing evidence pointing to collaboration between armed bandits and violent extremist organizations in Nigeria. However, it does not negate the potential for the adoption of a political ideology by armed bandits. This also explains the prevalent kidnappings for ransom, cattle-rustling, and thefts that are often associated with these groups. Concentrated mostly in Nigeria’s North West region and parts of its North Central region, armed bandits are predominantly driven by economic opportunism, rather than political ideology, which differentiates them from terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State-West Africa Province (ISWAP). In 2021 alone, more than 2,600 civilians were killed due to the nefarious activities of these groups, and some 11,500 Nigerians have been forcefully displaced to neighboring Niger. ![]() The activities of armed bandits, as they are popularly called in Nigeria, have led to the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of many others. ![]()
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