Interrogating State Response in the Management of Banditry activities in Nigeria A Study of Katsina State

Abstract

Armed banditry is fast becoming a new normal life in  Nigeria. From the North-East to the North-West, to North-Central and from the South-East, South-West and South-South; the story is the same, armed bandits have taken over both govern and ungoverned spaces in Nigeria. Nigerians are currently living in palpable fears of been kidnapped by armed bandits. Travelling across the country by road or even by rail is now a nightmare. This paper therefore interrogated the state's response in the management of banditry activates in Nigeria, with special focus on Katsina State; which to many, has become the epicenter of these armed bandits. The paper deployed Hearts and Minds (HAM) theory as its framework of analysis. The paper collected data from primary sources such as questionnaire and secondary sources such as books, journals, newspapers/magazines and online materials among others. Data collected from the field survey were presented in tables and descriptively analysed. The paper found that that armed banditry has been prevalent in the state in recent times, and has become a new normal life for the people of the state. Based on this finding, the paper recommended among others that, the activities of informants should be tackled
by the security agencies especially, the Directorate of State Services (DSS). Furthermore, the government should urgently address the problem of unemployment, which is a major cause of banditry activities in the state.