Do Snitches Still Get Stitches?

The northwest region of Nigeria which is largely regarded as the unofficial theatre of violence in the country has been associated with ruthless banditry for some years. The menace of banditry reached a crescendo in 2019 as affected state governments in the region hastily negotiated peace deals with willing bandits in a bid to secure peace. However, the relative normalcy achieved within the timeline of the peace deals has been cut short with new incidents of bloody attacks in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto states, amongst others. In reaction to the high rate of attacks in Katsina state, the Presidency alleges that some traditional rulers are sponsoring banditry hence the spike in attacks.

This damning revelation is not new. In April 2019, the Federal Government bemoaned that some prominent personalities and traditional leaders in Zamfara state were aiding bandits to worsen insecurity in the state. The level of insecurity in Zamfara state led to the banning of mining activities in the state which was attributed as one of the causes of violent attacks. In Snitches Get Stitches, Nextier SPD argues that, if the Nigerian state can discover the connivance of traditional rulers with bandits through military intelligence, such information should be acted upon to make arrests and ensure perpetrators face justice. The impact of intelligence is never complete until it leads to crime prevention and control. As such, the Nigerian government should not be bemoaning from a seeming point of weakness but should make thorough investigations work its name. Thousands of lives and livelihoods are being lost in the rampaging carnage by bandits. The menace of banditry in the northwest should not be treated with kids’ gloves, rather a comprehensive line of action involving combative and non-combative measures should be deployed immediately. 

Furthermore, state governments should checkmate the excesses of traditional rulers in their states. Nobody is above the law in Nigeria, as such any perpetrator or enabler of violence should be prosecuted within the stipulations of the country’s laws. As in the news reports, unscrupulous elements are acting as informants to bandits, informing them about military missions. This revelation could be the reason why most bandits have been able to operate unchallenged and also evade capture. The Nigerian forces operating in the northwest and other banditry-affected states in the north-central regions should review their military operations and logistics to ensure that military missions are of top secrecy. Also, this is the time to improve collaborations with the vetted local population in the banditry-prone areas who will provide local intelligence for military missions. 

Conclusively, beyond combative measures, governments in the region should also invest in human capital development in the region. Also, there should be awareness campaigns to gather support for the Nigerian forces working in the region. From news reports, there appear to be vested interests and other sentimental issues that are triggering violence in the region. Military efforts may seem like the best solution to the issue of banditry in the region, but paying close attention to socio-economic and socio-cultural dimensions of the conflict is equally important in seeking for peace and stability in the area.