RURAL BANDITRY AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF SOKOTO STATE 2009-2019

RURAL BANDITRY AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF SOKOTO STATE 2009-2019

Abstract

Rural banditry is increasingly becoming one of the worst forms of domestic insurgencies affecting Nigeria and the West African sub-region. The prevalence and severity of rural banditry has contributed to the rising increase of regional insecurity with a potential threat on regional integration of West Africa. The protracted nature of these conflicts has intensified village raids, illegal toll collection, rapes, kidnappings, and cattle rustling. Specifically, cattle rustling has escalated and continued to remain a source of rural banditry in Sokoto state. The study examines rural banditry and national security in Nigeria: a study of Sokoto state (2009-2019). The Routine Activities Theory (RAT) was utilized as framework for analysis. Data for the research were gathered through primary and secondary methods. The findings revealed that unemployment, poor security system, poverty, and poor governance seem to be major factors behind the emergence of armed banditry in Nigeria in general and Sokoto state in particular. Base on this finding, the study strongly recommend that the government should as a matter of urgency creates job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths loitering the streets of major cities in the country.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Study

According to the African Union, security, peace, stability and good governance have been regarded as prerequisites for the achievement of any meaningful socio-economic development of any nation. It has been argued that there is a strong link between security and development generally (Nwanegbo and Odigbo, 2013; Chandler, 2007 as cited in Ewetan and Urhie, 2014). Although peace and stability have been the core aim and objective of most nations in the world over the past decades, security challenges have continued to remain a major setback to achieving meaningful socio-economic development in most African countries particularly Nigeria. Insecurity does not only pose threats to the lives and properties of citizens, discourages local businesses, scares away foreign investment but portrays a bad image of the country (Ekene, 2015).

Security challenges posed by these threats have become a global phenomenon that needs to be tackled as a matter of seriousness to create an enabling environment for socioeconomic development. For over a decade, Nigeria has continued to witness a tremendous setback in its socioeconomic development fuelled by the continuous resurgence of different kinds of security threats particularly armed banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, Boko Haram insurgency among others (Akinbi, 2015; Epron, 2018). However, despite government efforts to bring to an end the bewildering situation by spending over 462 trillion on national security over the past five years, the security situation remains Nigeria’s major challenge to socio-economic development (Olufemi, 2015).

As Nigeria is restrategizing on ways to control the menace, having suffered from the Boko Haram insurgency which has crippled its socio-economic development, new emerging security threats are fast paving their way to either complement or to gradually replace earlier threats to the country’s socio-economic and national security progress. Armed banditry, kidnapping, and cybercrime (Yahoo-Yahoo) among others have recently become rampant in Nigeria and posed a threat to Nigeria’s national security.

One of the major forms of domestic insurgencies which accompanied Nigeria development process is the phenomenon of rural banditry. It is one of the worst forms of domestic conflicts affecting peaceful co-existence of West Africa and thus become a threat to sub-regional integration, peace, and security in the region. Rural banditry began as a resource-based conflict, and over time evolved into a regional conflict manifesting itself in the form of farmers/herder’s conflict, village raids, rape, and kidnapping. Empirical evidence revealed that millions of lives and properties were displaced and lost due to the prevalence of rural banditry in West Africa.

Scholars and students of African politics alike argued that rural banditry is more upon than not a form of identity conflict which affects social relations among ethnic and tribal groups in West Africa. This is evident in the way rural banditry created fear, suspicion, hatred as well as lack of trust among tribal and religious groups with consequences on peaceful co-existence and stability of the sub-region. The ethnic and/or identity dimension of rural banditry indicated that it is not only a security threat but also an impediment to national and regional integration in West Africa. Perhaps this explains why Olaniyan and Yahaya (2016) argued that cattle rustling as a form of rural banditry has significantly contributed to integration challenges faced by some countries in Africa. It compounded the problem of identity conflicts and sowed the seed of hatred among people who hitherto lived as brothers’ keepers and in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

Regrettably, scanty attention is given by West African states and governments towards providing policy solutions to the problem of rural banditry in the region. Poor handling of rural banditry provides a fertile ground for rural bandits to establish and operates in deserts and forest as routes and training camps for membership recruitment. They carved out forest and desert as their territories with the objective to overthrow the prevailing political system in countries like Benin, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.

It is against this background that the study tends to investigate the threats rural banditry pose to national security in Nigeria with specific reference to Sokoto state between 2009-2019.

• Statement of Problem

The study examines rural banditry and national security in Nigeria: a study of Sokoto state (2009-2019). Rural banditry is increasingly becoming one of the worst forms of domestic insurgencies affecting Nigeria and the West African sub-region. The prevalence and severity of rural banditry has contributed to the rising increase of regional insecurity with a potential threat on regional integration of West Africa. The protracted nature of these conflicts has intensified village raids, illegal toll collection, rapes, kidnappings, and cattle rustling. Specifically, cattle rustling has escalated and continued to remain a source of rural banditry in Sokoto state and the West Africa region at large.

Due to the violent nature of rural banditry in Sokoto state, farmlands and grazing routes have been deserted, and farmers and pastoralists were denied the opportunity to utilize their farmlands and livestock respectively as their source of livelihood. This has significantly affected agricultural and livestock development across the country at large. One of the implications of rural banditry is the gradual decline of beef and milk production, which denied farmers and herders the needed income to improve their condition of living. The lost of the source of income contributed to worsening poverty situation of famers and herders as well as their subsequent involvement in banditry activities, including the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region.

Some of the affected pastoralist and farmers’ plea to other potential conflicts prone areas and joined forces with other domestic insurgency groups such as Boko Haram. The gradual decline of milk and beef production also gave rise to food insecurity, which further inflicts hunger and wants among the population of the Nigeria and its neighbors. In addition to its negative effect on revenue generation drive of Sokoto, Nigeria and West African states. All these worsened poverty situations increase refuges and migration problems in West Africa and affect ECOWAS effort towards economic and political integration of the region. This is the problem that inform the decision to embark on the study of rural banditry and national security in Nigeria: a study of Sokoto state (2009-2019)

• Research Objectives

The general objective of the study is to examine rural banditry and national security in Nigeria: a study of Sokoto state (2009-2019). The specific objectives are as follows:

1. To examine the factors responsible for the emergence of rural banditry in Sokoto state between 2009-2019;
2. To assess the effects of rural banditry on national security in Nigeria between 2009-2019;

• To examine the measures adopted by government towards rural banditry in Nigeria between 2009-2019.
  • Research Questions

1. What are the factors responsible for the emergence of rural banditry in Sokoto state between 2009-2019?
2. What are the effects of rural banditry on national security in Nigeria between 2009-2019?

• What are the measures adopted by government towards rural banditry in Nigeria between 2009-2019?
  • Significance of the Study

This study is relevant as we are still witnessing the conflict and chaos left behind from rural banditry. This study provides an in-depth understanding of rural banditry and national security in Nigeria: a study of Sokoto state (2009-2019) and serves as future reference for further studies on the topic. The essence for choosing the period between (2009-2019) is that the period suffered from the menace of rural banditry which has crippled the socio-economic development of area of study.

The study is essential in that most of the literature the researcher came across in the course of this work tailored toward addressing rural banditry and insurgency as a whole without looking at the linkage it has on Nigeria’s national security that has come to impact on the entire West Africa sub-region. Moreover, majority of the literatures are mostly in journals and articles which are believed to look at a particular issue per time, implying that they are incomprehensive as holistic study is concerned. On the whole, most of the literature studied on the subject matter has not been as wide as this one in terms of the years of coverage and issues to be address.

The findings of the study serve as a benefit to policy makers in embarking on policy change in the area of counter-banditry.

The findings of this work bridge the academic-gap in the area of study. This is because issues such as reasons for frequent attacks in Sokoto state and North West region of Nigeria and the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the various response measures within the period under investigation is explored.

By way of recommendations, the findings of this study serve to convince the masses that security is the business of everybody, not only for the government or the security agencies.

Finally, this research would also propel further academic research in the field of peace, security and conflict resolution.

• Research Hypothesis

Ho: there is no significant relationship between rural banditry and national security in Nigeria;

Hi: there is a significant relationship between rural banditry and national security in Nigeria.

• Theoretical Framework

The Routine Activities Theory (RAT) was pioneered by Cohen and Felson (1979) in an attempt “to understand patterns and upward trends of predatory criminal events in the historical context of changing economy” (Hsieh and Wang 2018, 335). The theory holds that crime is likely to occur when there is a spatial-temporal convergence of three essential elements of crime, namely a motivated offender, an attractive target, and the absence of capable guardianship.

According to exponents of the theory (Cohen and Felson 1979; Maxfield 1987; Samonas 2013), motivated offenders are individuals who are capable and willing to commit a crime while suitable targets can be a person or object that are considered by offenders as vulnerable or attractive. On the other hand, guardianship can be a person or an object that is effective in deterring offense to occur. Mere physical presence of guardianship in space and time can deter crime committal.

The Routine Activity Theory is based on some basic assumptions (Cohen and Felson 1979; Garofalo 1987; Maxfield 1987; Felson and Cohen 1980):

1. Crime is likely to occur when there is a spatial-temporal convergence of three essential elements of crime, namely a motivated offender, an attractive target, and the absence of capable guardianship;
2. The factors that render a particular target attractive are situational and crime-specific;

• Crime can be perpetrated by anyone who has the opportunity in terms of capability and availability of vulnerable target;

1. Victims have choices on whether to be victims mainly by possibly avoiding situations where a crime can be committed against them.

Applied to the purpose of the present discourse, it is to be observed that rural banditry is a crime that has been precipitated and sustained by the prevailing socio-existential environment in the rural sector characterized by a high proclivity to criminal indulgence. In the case of the focal area, Sokoto, northwestern state of Nigeria, the presence and prevalence of under-policed and unregulated hinterlands, forestlands and borderlands have provided an enormous opportunity for rural criminality.

In addition, the presence of viable but vulnerable rural economy based largely on animal husbandry, crop production and informal mining, equally provides an avalanche of handy crime objects/ targets: cattle, cash, treasure, etc. In this context, the virtual absence of governmental security apparatus in most rural communities gives incentive for criminal opportunism and impunity as well (The Humanitarian, 2018).

In all, the aforementioned ecology of crime brings about, not only motivation but also temptation, for criminal indulgence. Under this circumstance, criminal deterrence takes flight all forms of predatory crime prevail. This is typically the situation in northwestern Nigeria and sokoto state in particular, where rural marauders and brigands are having a sustained field day in a criminal escapade that is threatening to overrun the entire region.

• Research Methodology

Data for this research were gathered through primary and secondary methods, otherwisely known as quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative data, the study used simple random sampling to distribute 300 hundred (300) questionnaires to respondents in Gudu and Illela local government areas of Sokoto state. In addition, to compliment the quantitative data, qualitative data from extant literature were utilized. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data obtained.

• Scope and Limitations of the Study

The main focus of this study is to find out the relationship between rural banditry and national security in Nigeria: a study of Sokoto state (2009-2019). The justification for choosing Sokoto state is that it is part of the north western states in Nigeria that are hitted by rural banditry. Again the state shares a border with the Republic of Niger in Illela, and Gudu local governments, making the study international in nature. As regards the choice for the scope, the period witnesses the rise of rural banditry as well as several efforts by government in overcoming it. However, the study also makes reference to vital issues relating to the work before and after the period under study.

The geographical coverage of the study is Nigeria covering the period of the fourth republic (2009-2019) with focus on Sokoto state. The choice of fourth republic was based on the conviction that the period recorded a worrisome degree of corruption, poverty and even insecurity, thereby paving ways for rural banditry. The interest of this study is to highlight the factors responsible for the emergence of rural banditry in Sokoto state between 2009-2019 and the effects of rural banditry to national security in Nigeria between 2009-2019. However, such an extensive study is not flexible considering some major constraint such as:

1. Financial constraints of the researcher.
2. The researcher desire to carry out his investigation with a target time.

• Relevant materials such as literature and application are still scanty. Others are number of books, geographical spread, time and situation can be better/imagined that fulfill in the developing country like Nigeria.

Consequently, it is obvious that the researcher will encounter some of this problem during this research work which none is considered so serious as to affect its validity.

• Definition of Terms

Banditry

Banditry is a derivative of the term bandit meaning an unlawful armed group terrorizing people and confiscating their properties. It is synonymous with the establishment of gang groups who used small and light weapons to carry out attacks against people. In this regard, banditry could mean a set up criminal activities deliberately designed and carried out for personal gains.

Security

Adebakin (2012) defines security as liberty from threats and dangers and the ability of a state or country to safe guard its citizens, values of the nation, develop itself, encourage legitimate interests and improve the well-being of its people. This freedom can be sustained through internal security system. Based on the above definitions of security therefore, insecurity can be deduced as when an individual, community or nation is faced with threat or danger. It can also be referred to as the state of being exposed to danger or threat from internal or external forces.

National Security

National security includes good governance, maintenance of law and order and generality of the safety of lives of citizens to ensure the society is stable and this is by safe guarding the citizens from poverty, disease, ignorance, hunger and all forms of territorial and environmental hazards (Okoli, 2014).

Collective Security

Collective Security therefore, is a strategy adopted by members of international system to collectively restrain the use of force among its members. The principle stipulates that members would take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to peace and for the suppression of aggressive acts and breaches of the peace (Omede, 2004).

• Research Outlines

This research work is organized into five chapters. Chapter one begins with the background to the study, statement of the problem, research objectives, research questions, research hypothesis, theoretical framework, research methodology, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and research outlines.

Chapter two discusses literature review, whereas chapter three dwells on the overview of rural banditry in North West Nigeria. Chapter four focus on data presentation, analysis and discussion of findings.

Chapter five deals with summary, conclusion and recommendations of the research findings.

RURAL BANDITRY AND NATIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF SOKOTO STATE 2009-2019

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