THE IMPLICATIONS OF SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NORTH-WESTERN NIGERIA: A PROGNOSIS FROM ARMED BANDITRY

This paper attempt to examine The Implications of Security Challenges in North-Western Nigeria: A Prognosis from Armed Banditry that has devastated effects on Nigerian corporate existence. Therefore, arms proliferation has significantly deteriorated the situations. Consequently, hundreds villages deserted, thousands of innocent people killed and hundreds thousands fled their homes. These arms proliferation has created a syndicate groups, supply chain and sales routes from Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Libya, thereby increasing access to guns and other weapons to bandits and terrorists groups responsible for violent crimes, unrest and political instability in West Africa subregion.The study employed qualitative research method through the use of secondary sources of data for proper analysis. To this effect, the study adopts, Broken windows theory by criminologists J, Wilson and G, Kelling, the theory states that signs of disorder will lead to more disorder, a building with a broken window that has been left unrepaired will give the appearance that no one cares and no one is in charge. However, the paper finds out that, in North-western Nigeria armed banditry have created a gun runners' syndicate groups who moved in and across states of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kebbi mostly bordered with Nigeria-Niger Republic, an informal security sector (Yan Sakai) emerged to checkmate the activities of bandits and politicians both at national and states levels engages in blame game. This paper recommends among others, enhancing intelligence gathering at Nigeria-Niger Republic borderlands, the informal security sector (Yan Sakai) should operates within the ambit of the law and coordinated approach by all stakeholders especially those from the zone to join hands together and find a lasting solution to the problem at hand instead of blame game which is totally diversionary and counter-productive.