Gbenro Adesina
The Nigerian government has been charged to tackle banditry headlong so as to make the country a safe place for the citizens again.
This was the position of participants from the academia, security, and intelligence agencies at an online stakeholders engagement between researchers on a TETFUND project entitled “Armed Bandits and Banditry in Nigeria: History, Character and Panacea” led by Dr Jide Akanji of the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan (UI), as the Principal Investigator (PI) and six other researchers.
The participants had a robust discussion of over two hours on the history, causes, and solutions to banditry in the country.
While calling for the de-politicization and de-ethnicisation of the fight against bandits, participants noted that there was a need for synergy among the security agencies and other relevant stakeholders for the fight to be successful.
Participants at the stakeholders’ engagement came from Oyo State Security Network codenamed Amotekun, Airforce, Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Action Aid, The Nigerian Police, The Nigerian Army, Navy, Department of State Services, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
While welcoming the participants, Akanji, the principal investigator, stated that the objectives of the research include understanding the perspectives of the security and intelligence community on the issue of banditry.
The participants all noted the urgency in eradicating the menace, noting that while there is capacity of the security community to fight bandits and banditry, the causes of banditry which included “poverty, unemployment, ungoverned spaces, poorly motivated workforce, get-rich-quick syndrome and moral bankruptcy among politicians must be tackled.”
They also voiced their displeasure at the rate at which police personnel are killed and logistics destroyed by the criminals, and called on government to provide social security for those involved in the fight against banditry and the families of the deceased.
The stakeholders asked government to reclaim large vast of forest for gainful use stating that forests spaces are being used as hideouts of criminals in Nigeria.
While thanking participants for providing useful insights from their respective agencies’ perspectives, Akanji said the research aims to touch states experiencing banditry with a view to providing evidence based solutions to government.
The co-moderator of the event, Dr Adebimpe Adenugba stated that the research would proceed with training of researchers and data collection before entering the field, adding that the security situation in Nigeria is already threatening the peace and unity of the country.
