Banditry and Insecurity: Are There Ungoverned Spaces in Nigeria?
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Published
Nov 30, 2023
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Abstract
Many towns and villages in Nigeria have been experiencing bandits activities, vis-à-vis kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape, cattle-rustling, and violent actions in recent years. These activities have continued to escalate despite the presence of security agencies such as – the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Police, the State Security Service, the National Intelligence Agency, and the Defence Intelligence among others. The unabated bandits' activities in part of the country depict a picture of ungoverned spaces, which suggests that there are territories that are experiencing a vacuum of political order. The study for that reason examines the connections between banditry and the ungoverned spaces, as well as, analyses the effects of bandits' activities on Nigeria and Nigerians. Using the discourse analysis that relies on secondary sources, the paper argues that the inability to govern some territories adequately in Nigeria has created a vacuum for bandits’ activities to thrive.
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Kugbayi, O., & Adegbami, A. (2023). Banditry and Insecurity: Are There Ungoverned Spaces in Nigeria?. Law Research Review Quarterly, 9(4), 399-418. https://doi.org/10.15294/lrrq.v9i4.71054
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
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All writings published in this journal are personal views of the authors and do not represent the views of this journal and the author's affiliated institutions. Author(s) are retain the copyrights of the Article. However, before publishing, it is required to obtain written confirmation from Author(s) in order to ensure the originality (Author Statement of Originality). The statement is to be signed by at least one of the authors who have obtained the assent of the co-author(s) where applicable.This work licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
References
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Okoli, A. C., & Ugwu, A. C. (2019). Of marauders and brigands: Scoping the threat of rural banditry in Nigeria’s north west. Brazilian Journal of African Studies, 4(8), 201-222.
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Babangida, M. (2021). Banditry: Residents of North-west states reluctantly embrace stringent measures as governors unite. Retrieved on 2/11/2021 from https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nwest/484365-banditry-residents-of-north-west-states-reluctantly-embrace-stringent-measures-as-governors-unite.html
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Channels Television (2014) Police bos vows to end cattle rustling Retrieved on 2/11/2021 from https://www.channelstv.com/2014/10/22/police-boss-vows-end-cattle-rustling/
Clark, M., & Mansour, R. (2013). After Pandora’s Box Implications of Misgovernance and Contested Governance in Syria, and What this Means for NATO. Atlantic Voices, 3(4), 2-7.
Clunan, A., & Harold, T. A. (Eds.). (2010). Ungoverned spaces: Alternatives to state authority in an era of softened sovereignty. Stanford University Press.
Dahiru, A. (2022). Will another network shutdown save Zamfara residents from terror? HumAngle. Retrieved on 05/07/2023 from https://humanglemedia.com/will-another-network-shutdown-save-zamfara-residents-from-terror/
Djugumanov, I. & Pankovski, M. (2013). The Concept of Ungoverned Spaces Development and Perspectives. Atlantic Voices. 3(4), 8–11.
Gadzama, I. U., Saddiq, N. M., Oduehie, T. C., & Dariya, C. J. (2018). Appraisal of rural banditry in" Kamuku" forest in Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Rural Sociology, 18(1), 42-49.
Garba, D. (2021). Armed banditry in North West borderlands and the need for deeper Nigeria-Niger Republic bilateral security relations. Journal of Conflict Resolution and Social Issues, 2(1), 35-49.
Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (2021). Observatory of Illicit Economies in West Africa. Retrieved on 2/08/2021 from https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/WEA-Obs-RB1-GITOC.pdf
Hansen, W. (2017). Boko Haram: Religious radicalism and insurrection in northern Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 52(4), 551-569.
Ibrahim, T. (2021). Inside Katsina communities where residents spend days in Nigeria, night in Niger Republic. Retrieved on 2/11/2021 from https://dailytrust.com/life-in-katsina-border-communities-residents-spend-day-in-nigeria-night-in-niger-republic
Igboin, B. O. (2021). Ungoverned or Alternatively Governed Spaces in North-Eastern Nigeria: A Critical Exploration of Boko Haram’s Ideological Motif. In Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements (pp. 421-444). Brill.
Igwe, U. (2021). Illicit natural resource extraction in Nigeria fuels violence and insecurity. Retrieved on 2/08/2021 from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2021/07/12/illicit-natural-resource-extraction-gold-nigeria-violence-insecurity-buhari/
Keister, J. (2014). The Illusion of Chaos: Why Ungoverned Spaces Aren't Ungoverned, and Why that Matters. Cato Institute Policy Analysis, (766).
Ladan, S. I., & Matawalli, B. U. (2021). Impacts of Banditry on Food Security in Katsina State Nigeria: A Recent Study. Emerging Challenges in Agriculture and Food Science Vol. 1, 16-27.
Lake, D. A. (2009). Hobbesian hierarchy: the political economy of political organization. Annual Review of Political Science, 12, 263-283.
Lenshie, N. E., Okengwu, K., Ogbonna, C. N., & Ezeibe, C. (2021). Desertification, migration, and herder-farmer conflicts in Nigeria: rethinking the ungoverned spaces thesis. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 32(8), 1221-1251.
MacEachern, S. (2020). Boko Haram, bandits and slave-raiders: identities and violence in a Central African borderland. Canadian Journal of African Studies/Revue canadienne des études africaines, 54(2), 247-263.
Mohammed, I. A., Liman, A., &Babangida, M. (2021). Investigation: The 39 LGAs controlled by bandit kingpins in 6 states. Retrieved 2/8/2022 from https://21stcenturychronicle.com/investigation-the-39-lgas-control-by-bandit-kingpins-in-6-states/
Nextier (2023). 2022 Annual Review of Nigeria’s Violent Conflict Profile. Retrieved 07/07/2023 from https://thenextier.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230420_Special_Report_2022-Annual-Review-of-Nigerias-Violent-Conflict-Profile.pdf
Ogbonnaya, M. U. (2020). Illegal mining and rural banditry in north west Nigeria: Responses, successes, and challenges. Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational Organized Crime, 19, 1-11.
Ojo, J. S. (2020). Governing “Ungoverned Spaces” in the Foliage of Conspiracy: Toward (Re) ordering Terrorism, from Boko Haram Insurgency, Fulani Militancy to Banditry in Northern Nigeria. African Security, 13(1), 77-110.
Okoli, A. C., & Abubakar, M. (2021). ‘Crimelordism’: Understanding a New Phenomenon in Armed Banditry in Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 56(7), 1724-1737.
Okoli, A. C., & Ugwu, A. C. (2019). Of marauders and brigands: Scoping the threat of rural banditry in Nigeria’s north west. Brazilian Journal of African Studies, 4(8), 201-222.
Olaniyan, A. (2018). Foliage and violence: Interrogating forests as a security threat in Nigeria. African Security Review, 27(1), 88-107.
Olaniyan, A., & Yahaya, A. (2016). Cows, bandits, and violent conflicts: Understanding cattle rustling in Northern Nigeria. Africa Spectrum, 51(3), 93-105.
Onwuzuruigbo, I. (2021). Enclaves of banditry: Ungoverned forest spaces and cattle rustling in Northern Nigeria. African Studies Review, 64(1), 168-191.
Premium Times (2016). Nigeria Police inaugurate committee to tackle cattle rustling. Retrieved on 2/11/2021 from https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/217817-nigeria-police-inaugurate-committee-tackle-cattle-rustling.html
Rufai, M. A. (2021). “I am a bandit”: A decade of research in Zamfara State bandit’s den. 15th university lecture series delivered in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto.
Sackflame, M. M., & Omitola, B. (2022). Ungoverned Spaces and Alternative Sovereignties in Nigeria: Terror Groups, National Security and Sustainable Development. Law Research Review Quarterly, 8(1), 133-152.
Sardauna, F. (2022). Terrorism: Zamfara Gov directs residents to axquire guns to defend themselves. This Day Newspaper. Retrieved on 07/07/2023 from https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/06/26/terrorism-zamfara-gov-directs-residents-to-acquire-guns-to-defend-themselves
Shettima, A. G., & Tar, U. A. (2008). Farmer-pastoralist conflict in West Africa: Exploring the causes and consequences. Information, society and justice journal, 1(2), 163-184.
Taylor, A. J. (2016). Thoughts on the nature and consequences of ungoverned spaces. The SAIS Review of International Affairs, 36(1), 5-15.
UNHCR (2021). Factsheet for Sokoto – North-west Nigeria. Retrieved on 02/02/2022 from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Factsheet%20for%20Sokoto%20%E2%80%93%20North-West%20Nigeria.pdf
United Nations Human Rights Council (2021). Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions on her mission to Nigeria. Retrieved on 2/8/2022 from https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/A_HRC_47_33_Add.2_AdvanceUneditedVersion.pdf