10 Causes of Banditry in Nigeria

Banditry in Nigeria simply means armed thieves operating in Nigeria. Today, thousands of people attack others on the highways, villages and towns. These bandits rape girls and even married women. They kidnap and rob. Because they are armed, and often operate in gangs, no one dares to resist them. They can kill any resistor instantly.Information Guide Nigeria

The question is what are the causes of these types of nefarious activities in Nigeria? This post identifies ten causes of banditry in Nigeria.

Read Also: 10 Effects of Banditry in Nigeria

Identified Causes of Banditry in Nigeria

Looking at Nigeria very critically, one can identify so many causes of banditry. However, we shall limit our list to just ten of such causes. The ten causes we shall look at are:

• Porous borders
• State governors lack synergy
• The inability of state governors to direct operations
• Broken down rule of lawCauses of Banditry in Nigeria
• Religious dichotomy
• Governments neglect
• Unemployment
• Unequipped policeWAEC Result
• Unpunished crimes
• Weak local government leadership

1. Porous Borders

The reason the bandits operate successfully is that they are always armed. The fear of being killed does not allow people to resist them. Worst of all is the fact that the types of weapons they use are very sophisticated. Even the police find it difficult to withstand them.

The bandits can get such sophisticated weapons through our porous borders because the security agents at the borders are not enough to check everybody. Those coming into Nigeria through the borders can easily beat them and pass through.Npower Recruitment

There are no thorough checks. Those who come in, and go out go through freely. Anybody can go out at any time and come in at any time. Even when there are checks, corruption would not allow the agents to do a good job. They can allow those who are carrying guns to pass through the borders unmolested.

The porosity of our borders is such that foreigners can easily come into Nigeria and go out at will. Bet me, not all the bandits are Nigerians. There are those who come from neighbouring countries. See the national identity card that the federal government is trying to issue. No Nigerian has one. This makes it difficult for true Nigerians to be identified at the borders. This is why the issue of banditry in Nigeria is hard to deal with.

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2. State Governors Lack of Synergy

Bandits abound in Nigeria because the state governors do not work together. They do not join forces together to fight the monster. When bandits operate in Sokoto state, the Zamfara state Governor sees it as a Sokoto State problem. When they are driven at Sokoto, they run to Zamfara to find refuge. When the situation in Sokoto dies down, they return.JAMB Result

This is why you hear of attacks in a particular state sometimes, only to hear of a repeat attack after a while. Because the state governors are not united, the bandits take advantage of that.

3. Inability of State Governors to Direct Operations

The state governors are the only Chief Security Officers in words. When it comes to action, they do not have the power to direct any operations. Therefore, they lack the power to deal with banditry operations in their states. Before they reach the federal government that has the power to go against them, the bandits have done whatever they want to do and are gone.

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4. Broken Down Rule of Law

Security experts believe that banditry can only be found in countries where the rule of law has been broken down. Therefore, we can safely say that banditry is found in Nigeria because Nigerian lawmakers have no laws about banditry in Nigeria. If there are such laws, nobody obeys them. This is why there is banditry in Nigeria.

5. Religious Dichotomy

The two pronounced religions in Nigeria differ in beliefs and practices. While the Christians believe that killing, raping and robbery are sins; the Muslims believe that they only make heaven when they kill. Therefore, the Jihadists find pleasure in killing. On their part, there is nothing wrong with stealing other people’s property. This is why banditry is prevalent in the northern part of Nigeria. It is due to their religious beliefs.

Until Nigerians can align religious beliefs with Nigerian culture and values, banditry cannot stop in Nigeria. It is taboo in Nigerian culture for people to rape other men’s wives. It is forbidden in Nigerian culture to steal other people’s property. Thus, there is banditry in Nigeria because bandits lack Nigerian values.

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6. Government Neglect

The federal government, state government and local government neglect Nigerian citizens. Unbelievably, poverty is a major cause of banditry in Nigeria. Hunger is a drive that is difficult to control. Money is a very powerful instrument in anybody’s life. Any man who has no money is in a state of confusion.

Now, some people like getting the money they need by force. More so that arms are readily available to them, the result is banditry. Being armed, they feel that nobody can resist them. Thus, bandits have sent many innocent souls to their untimely graves. Until all the tiers of government learn to take care of their citizens, banditry will not stop in Nigeria.How to Check MTN Bonus Balance

7. Unemployment

There is no gainsaying the fact that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. No able-bodied Nigerian who is gainfully employed will think of banditry. When he is busy in his office, what time does he have to plan banditry with his gang? The unemployed are those who engage in banditry in Nigeria.

8. Unequipped Police

The Nigerian police are specially trained to deal with crimes within Nigeria. They are duty-bound to deal with banditry in Nigeria. Nevertheless, they cannot deal with the monster because of a lack of equipment.JAMB Form

The weapons the Nigerian police have cannot withstand the ones the bandits have. It is for this reason that you see many of the police personnel hiding when the bandits start their operation. Until the government equip the Nigerian police enough to withstand banditry in Nigeria, it will continue to be there.

Read Also:Top 10 Notable Cases of Banditry in Nigeria

9. Unpunished Crimes

Crime has become a hobby in Nigeria. Of course, some people earn their living through banditry. Thus, banditry in Nigeria is no longer a crime. If it is, who punishes it?How Much is NECO GCE 2022?

How many bandits have our criminal justice system sentenced? As I was doing my research for this post, I was surprised to see that en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria-bandit-conflict has names of bandits. They are well known as bandits in Nigeria from outside Nigeria. Within Nigeria, they are heroes. Outside Nigeria, they are bandits. They live freely in Nigeria unpunished. How can banditry stop in Nigeria?

10. Weak Local Government Leadership

The Local Government Areas, as the third tier of government in Nigeria, are responsible for grass root development in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the leadership in this sector is so weak that nothing good comes from there.

Let us face facts; bandits do not live on the moon. They are human beings who live among us. Even if they make forests their abode, the forests are within the local government areas. The forests exist in a particular locality. Strong leadership within that area should be able to track them down.

Yet, they are left to operate freely among us. What then makes you think that banditry in Nigeria will stop? Weak leadership in our local government areas is one of the causes of banditry in Nigeria.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we all are the causes of banditry in Nigeria. We are their informants. We help them to succeed. Report bandits to the police, the police will in turn report you to them. The result is an attack on you. Until we become our brothers’ keepers, banditry will continue to ravage Nigeria.

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