Showdown with Bandits

Nigeria\’s new efforts to tackle banditry have come with internet shutdown. Since September, the government has intermittently cut communication lines in Zamfara and parts of Katsina and Sokoto states. This initiative has also affected some neighbouring states in accessing communications. Government\’s apparent objective is to handicap menacing bandits in the selected areas and increase military crackdown. One month after the first internet shutdown, reports show increased military onslaughts, unending banditry and realities of limited communication on everyday lives and businesses of residents.

Indeed, the fight against banditry would not be won in a matter of days. It is a no-brainer that the internet shutdown and increased military crackdown have pushed bandits to border states with lesser security presence and uninterrupted communications. This development comes with relative ease considering issues around ungoverned spaces and poorly securitised inter-state borders and forests. For instance, while residents in Zamfara state and parts of Sokoto and Katsina states were rendered incommunicado, about 20 people were killed by bandits in Sokoto state on 9th October 2021. This trend also speaks to security agencies being overwhelmed with rising violent conflicts and reduced deployment to areas prone to violence. In any case, bandits may be capitalising on these structural inadequacies to evade military crackdown and spread banditry across the board.

The war against banditry comes with a price for residents. In recent years, many parts of northwest and north-central Nigeria have been engulfed by ruthless banditry manifesting as community raids, mass killings, large scale abduction and disruption of peace and stability. Government\’s new initiative to tackle the recurrent menace means to restrict residents\’ access to communication, which may, directly and indirectly, affect their safety, livelihoods and survival. Government have chosen this path for the supposed \”greater good\” of the residents. But how long will citizens remain incommunicado? Already, bandits\’ violence has caused tremendous harm to human security and livelihoods to millions of people in the northwest. Also, securitisation efforts appear not to be enjoying significant local support with the apprehension of traditional elites and residents who allegedly provide logistics support to bandits. Moreover, there is a possibility that the cutting of communication lines may further strain the relationship between the Nigerian security actors and the local population.

To achieve sustainable peace and stability in bandits\’ killing fields should mean many things for Nigerian security actors. First, efforts to end banditry must not worsen the everyday realities of residents who have been affected by recurrent banditry. Second, if the argument of the \”greater good\” should stand, government must put into context how it will affect the lives and livelihoods of residents. This should involve a robust situational analysis that will create opportunities to counteract the impact of banditry and the new realities the shutdown of communication may have triggered. The intention is that government, by action and communication, must consider how security challenges affect people and how its combative responses may deepen these challenges. Information from these activities will form the basis for reviewing and revamping security measures against banditry.

Third, implementing a before and after evaluation framework. Although valid arguments may hold water in terms of limited timelines, the government needs to implement an evaluation framework for a before and after study to measure the outcome of its security approaches. This analysis will inform security sector decision-makers on the impact of combative strategies using evidence and data. Backed by a robust implementation framework, government will be able to match the objectives of its new strategy with the current realities on the ground. It will also inform government if the strategy should be replicated in other crisis hotspots.

Fourth, reviewing the silos approach. Agreeably, the shutdown of communication channels in selected areas in northwest Nigeria is at best a \”silos approach\”. As earlier stated, it may have led to the migration of bandits and the spread of banditry in other states. Therefore, considering geographical proximities, ungoverned spaces, porous borders and inherent realities, government must factor these issues in mapping out security strategies. Isolating and tackling banditry must be holistic to capture states with the presence of and likelihood of banditry to ensure spillover banditry are not witnessed in hitherto relatively peaceful states. The shutdown of the internet for a bandits\’ showdown indicates government\’s renewed drive to end banditry. However, government must factor in nuances in its operations and commit to a periodic review of its efforts to match strategies with results.