Banditry in Nigeria: Politics, Allegations, and the Battle for Security

Nigeria has long struggled with corruption, but recent political rhetoric has shifted attention to a more immediate threat: insecurity driven by widespread banditry. While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has boldly declared the end of corruption in Nigeria, the rising scourge of armed banditry continues to destabilize communities, devastate livelihoods, and claim lives across the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigerians paid about ₦2.2 trillion ($1.41 billion) in ransom to bandits during the first year of the Tinubu administration, with half of that amount coming from the North-West. Similarly, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported that in April 2025 alone, 570 Nigerians were killed in 378 kidnapping incidents.

Banditry has become so entrenched that perpetrators openly boast on social media about their exploits. Some notorious figures, such as Bello Turji, have gained a cult-like status. Yet, their cruelty is extreme: in March 2025, after abducting 56 villagers from Kauran Namoda LGA in Zamfara, the bandits killed 35 young victims despite collecting ransom. In another case, the Tagadi community paid ₦7 million to secure the release of hostages, only for the same bandits to return days later for more abductions.

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, recently made a startling revelation, claiming he knows the precise locations of bandit leaders across the state but lacks the authority to direct federal security forces. “If today I have the power to give orders to the security agencies, I can assure you we will end banditry in Zamfara within two months,” he declared, while accusing some political actors of deliberately undermining the fight against insecurity.

His comments suggest a troubling reality: if state authorities have intelligence on bandit operations, federal security agencies likely do as well. This raises the question of why decisive action has not been taken. Critics argue that banditry has become a lucrative enterprise for certain powerful figures, with suspicions of political complicity.

Governor Lawal has previously accused his predecessor, Bello Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence, of aiding bandits. While Matawalle denied the allegations—insisting that multiple governors once engaged in dialogue with bandits as a peace strategy—his defense has done little to quell suspicions. His statement that Zamfara is a “complex state with terrible human beings with devilish ideas” only fueled controversy.

Despite Lawal’s insistence that he could end banditry with more control, some believe his claims may be political posturing, while others see them as an indictment of the federal government’s lack of will. Notably, neither the Presidency nor the Defence Ministry has issued a strong response, leaving Nigerians with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, calls for a state of emergency in Zamfara have gained traction, but analysts warn that removing governors in the North-West would not address the root causes of insecurity, which cut across the entire region.

For many Nigerians, the ultimate solution may lie in empowering citizens for self-defense. With communities under siege, farms abandoned, and lives lost daily, advocates argue that the people must be equipped to protect themselves, their homes, schools, and livelihoods in the absence of decisive government action.