Nigeria is teetering on the brink of chaos as banditry escalates into an unchecked epidemic. From the northern savanna to the southern hinterlands, the menace of armed groups wreaking havoc on communities has reached an alarming scale.
People are increasingly concerned and distrusting, a situation that led to the recent unfortunate lynching of 16 northern travellers in Edo State because they were suspected to be kidnappers. For how long can we continue like this?
Banditry, once confined to rural cattle rustlers, has morphed into a highly sophisticated and organised criminal enterprise. Kidnapping for ransom, mass killings and village pillaging have become the grim realities of daily life in Nigeria. According to the Global Terrorism Index, banditry has overtaken Boko Haram as the leading cause of deaths linked to terrorism in Nigeria.
For years, the menace of banditry and terrorism was perceived as a northern crisis. However, multiple reports, viral videos and first-hand accounts now suggest a dangerous shift. Bandits and armed militias, alias herdsmen, are expanding their operations into the South, particularly the South-East. This unsettling development has ignited fears of a coordinated invasion, raising urgent questions about the security and survival of Southern Nigeria.
The disturbing trend of violent attacks in Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, and parts of the South-West, combined with intelligence reports of armed groups establishing bases in remote forests, signals an escalation. The question is: Is this an orchestrated campaign to overrun the South, and, if so, what must be done to prevent an impending catastrophe?
While banditry has long been dismissed as random criminality driven by economic desperation, the emerging tactics suggest something more strategic and insidious.
One of the first signs of territorial expansion is the strategic occupation of forests by armed groups. Reports indicate that heavily armed militias, mostly non-indigenous to the South, have taken over key forest reserves.
In 2021, Rotimi Akeredolu, the late Governor of Ondo State, ordered all illegal occupants, particularly Fulani herdsmen, to vacate forest reserves after intelligence reports revealed they were being used as operational bases for kidnappings and other criminal activities. Strangely, some northern elements attacked him, labelling him anti-North.
The continued presence of these groups in thick forests gives them control over strategic locations, allowing them to launch attacks and retreat into hiding without fear of immediate military engagement.
They have greatly contributed to food insecurity. They are often captured in available videos excavating farm products and feeding them to their cattle. How wicked! The owners dare not protest, otherwise they would return home in body bags. They ravage the womenfolk even in the presence of their husbands and kill the men without feeling anything.
Previously, mostly associated with northern highways, mass kidnappings have now become prevalent in the South. The disconcerting highway scenario up North, where dozens of travellers are abducted in broad daylight, is now also playing out on major southern highways and even within towns. In early 2024, over 30 travellers were kidnapped along the Enugu-Ugwogo road. The perpetrators, armed with sophisticated weapons, demanded ransoms, running into millions of naira. If unchecked, the South could experience what the North went through, a situation where people can no longer travel safely without fear of abduction.
Unlike in the past, where attacks were carried out without prior warning, recent developments suggest an element of psychological warfare. Several viral videos have surfaced where armed groups openly boast about their planned dominance over southern lands. In early 2024, a widely circulated video showed a group of heavily armed men warning that they would soon take over southeastern territories. While some dismissed it as propaganda, the growing physical presence of militias in the region makes such threats worth investigating. When criminals are bold enough to issue threats publicly, it indicates a growing sense of invincibility, which was what Nigeria experienced in the early days of Boko Haram before their full-blown insurgency.
Another alarming trend is the gradual push southward from Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states that serve as a buffer between the North and the South. As the military grinds the bandits, an unchecked influx of the brigands to the area could lead to easy infiltration into the South-West, South-East, and even South-South.
While some believe fears of a southern takeover are exaggerated, history has shown that security threats evolve gradually before exploding into full-blown crises. Northern Nigeria once dismissed Boko Haram as a small problem; someone even accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of killing ‘his brothers’, until the entire region was submerged under their control.
Despite numerous military operations and anti-banditry initiatives, the government’s response, often sluggish and riddled with accusations of complicity, has left citizens questioning whether Nigeria is heading toward a full-blown security collapse. Security agencies are often deployed after attacks have already occurred. Even when intelligence reports indicate imminent threats, preventive actions are rarely taken.
Even when arrests are made, prosecution is slow or nonexistent. Some arrested bandits mysteriously regain their freedom, further emboldening their operations. Shockingly, reports have emerged of security personnel and government officials benefiting from ransom payments or outrightly aiding bandit groups.
This in no way repudiates the selfless sacrifice of dedicated security operatives, who risk their lives under dire and inclement conditions.
A controversial Islamic cleric has openly engaged in negotiations with bandits and suggested amnesty for them, sparking widespread concerns over official tolerance or connivance. Political leaders often resort to blame games, with state governors pointing fingers at the Federal Government and vice versa. Meanwhile, the bandits continue their reign of terror.
If Nigeria is to avert the looming calamity, and total collapse, decisive and urgent actions must be taken. The Nigerian military and police need complete restructuring, better equipment, and robust intelligence-sharing mechanisms. Any government official or military personnel found complicit with banditry must be prosecuted without exception. Local vigilantes, when properly trained and armed under state oversight, could serve as a first line of defence.
More importantly, it is noteworthy that many bandits and kidnappers are drawn into crime due to poverty. Addressing unemployment and providing alternatives can help reduce recruitment into the criminal network. Though the Nigerian government has taken steps to classify bandits as terrorists, further legal reinforcement and international collaboration are needed.
The current trajectory is unsustainable. If Nigeria does not swiftly and resolutely act, the country risks descending into a state of total anarchy. Bandits are everywhere, and unless they are stopped, the nation could go up in smoke. The Federal Government must be more proactive. It must invest in drones, satellite tracking, and intelligence gathering and sharing. Commendably, the Nigerian Air Force has effectively used drone surveillance in Zamfara to track and neutralise bandits.
A full-scale invasion of the South is possible if Southern governors remain passive, these criminal groups will establish deeper roots. If forest encroachments are not reversed, the South will soon have ungoverned territories like the North. Moreover, if the South remains fragmented, without forging a coordinated response to the threats to their collective existence.
Southern states must rise to the occasion and take security into their own hands. Initiatives like Amotekun in the South-west should be strengthened, well-funded, and legally empowered to operate independently across the South.
Southern governors, especially in the South-east must collaborate to tackle this existential problem and reclaim their forests from illegal occupants. Ondo State’s crackdown on criminal settlers in its forests should be replicated across the South.
Residents should be sensitised on security threats and equipped with defence mechanisms to repel attacks. Communities in Benue have successfully repulsed attacks by forming armed resistance groups.
The North should also sensitise its people. Without justifying jungle justice, the carnage in Edo would never have happened if the ‘hunters’ were not seen with the cache of dangerous weapons in public, which triggered the alarm that resulted in the avoidable killings.
As banditry spreads from the North to the South, fear grips communities that suspect a deeper, more sinister motive behind the wave of insecurity. Is this merely a case of unchecked criminality, or are these bandits acting as foot soldiers for a larger agenda of territorial expansion, religious hegemony, political destabilisation, or economic sabotage?
The South cannot afford complacency. The encroachment of bandits into its territories is not a speculation but an evolving reality. If urgent action is not taken, Southern Nigeria could become the next epicentre of unchecked violence. The time to act is NOW.
Bandits or foot soldiers? The hidden agendas behind Nigeria’s expanding security crisis
Nigeria is teetering on the brink of chaos as banditry escalates into an unchecked epidemic. From the northern savanna to the southern hinterlands, the menace of armed groups wreaking havoc on communities has reached an alarming scale.
People are increasingly concerned and distrusting, a situation that led to the recent unfortunate lynching of 16 northern travellers in Edo State because they were suspected to be kidnappers. For how long can we continue like this?
Banditry, once confined to rural cattle rustlers, has morphed into a highly sophisticated and organised criminal enterprise. Kidnapping for ransom, mass killings, and village pillaging have become the grim realities of daily life in Nigeria. According to the Global Terrorism Index, banditry has overtaken Boko Haram as the leading cause of deaths linked to terrorism in Nigeria.
For years, the menace of banditry and terrorism was perceived as a northern crisis. However, multiple reports, viral videos, and first-hand accounts now suggest a dangerous shift. Bandits and armed militias, alias herdsmen, are expanding their operations into the South, particularly the South-east. This unsettling development has ignited fears of a coordinated invasion, raising urgent questions about the security and survival of Southern Nigeria.
The disturbing trend of violent attacks in Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra, and parts of the South-west, combined with intelligence reports of armed groups establishing bases in remote forests, signals an direful escalation. The question is: Is this an orchestrated campaign to overrun the South, and if so, what must be done to prevent an impending catastrophe?
While banditry has long been dismissed as random criminality driven by economic desperation, the emerging tactics suggest something more strategic and insidious.
One of the first signs of territorial expansion is the strategic occupation of forests by armed groups. Reports indicate that heavily armed militias, mostly non-indigenous to the South, have taken over key forest reserves.
In 2021, Rotimi Akeredolu, the late Governor of Ondo State, ordered all illegal occupants, particularly Fulani herdsmen, to vacate forest reserves after intelligence reports revealed they were being used as operational bases for kidnappings and other criminal activities. Strangely, some northern elements attacked him, labeling him anti-North.
The continued presence of these groups in thick forests gives them control over strategic locations, allowing them to launch attacks and retreat into hiding without fear of immediate military engagement.
They have greatly contributed to food insecurity. They are often captured in available videos, excavating farm products and feeding them to their cattle. How wicked! The owners dare not protest, otherwise they would return home in body bags. They ravage the womenfolk even in the presence of their husbands and kill the men without feeling anything.
Previously mostly associated with Northern highways, mass kidnappings have now become prevalent in the South. The disconcerting highway scenario up North, where dozens of travellers are abducted in broad daylight, is now also playing out on major Southern highways and even within towns. In early 2024, over 30 travellers were kidnapped along the Enugu-Ugwogo Road. The perpetrators, armed with sophisticated weapons, demanded ransoms, running into millions of naira. If unchecked, the South could experience what the North went through, a situation where people can no longer travel safely without fear of abduction.
Unlike in the past, where attacks were carried out without prior warning, recent developments suggest an element of psychological warfare. Several viral videos have surfaced where armed groups openly boast about their planned dominance over Southern lands. In early 2024, a widely circulated video showed a group of heavily armed men, warning that they would soon take over South-eastern territories. While some dismissed it as propaganda, the growing physical presence of militias in the region makes such threats worth investigating. When criminals are bold enough to issue threats publicly, it indicates a growing sense of invincibility which was what Nigeria experienced in the early days of Boko Haram before their full-blown insurgency.
Another alarming trend is the gradual push southward from Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa states that serve as a buffer between the North and the South. As the military grinds the bandits, an unchecked influx of the brigands to the area could lead to easy infiltration into the South-west, South-east, and even South-south.
While some believe fears of a Southern takeover are exaggerated, history has shown that security threats evolve gradually before exploding into full-blown crises. Northern Nigeria once dismissed Boko Haram as a small problem; someone even accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of killing ‘his brothers’, until the entire region was submerged under their control.
Despite numerous military operations and anti-banditry initiatives, the government’s response, often sluggish and riddled with accusations of complicity, has left citizens questioning whether Nigeria is heading toward a full-blown security collapse. Security agencies are often deployed after attacks have already occurred. Even when intelligence reports indicate imminent threats, preventive actions are rarely taken.
Even when arrests are made, prosecution is slow or nonexistent. Some arrested bandits mysteriously regain their freedom, further emboldening their operations. Shockingly, reports have emerged of security personnel and government officials benefiting from ransom payments or outrightly aiding bandit groups.
This in no way repudiates the selfless sacrifice of dedicated security operatives, who risk their lives under dire and inclement conditions.
A controversial Islamic cleric has openly engaged in negotiations with bandits and suggested amnesty for them, sparking widespread concerns over official tolerance or connivance. Political leaders often resort to blame games, with state governors pointing fingers at the Federal Government and vice versa. Meanwhile, the bandits continue their reign of terror.
If Nigeria is to avert the looming calamity, and total collapse, decisive and urgent actions must be taken. The Nigerian military and police need complete restructuring, better equipment, and robust intelligence-sharing mechanisms. Any government official or military personnel found complicit with banditry must be prosecuted without exception. Local vigilantes, when properly trained and armed under state oversight, could serve as a first line of defence.
More importantly, it is noteworthy that many bandits and kidnappers are drawn into crime due to poverty. Addressing unemployment and providing alternatives can help reduce recruitment into the criminal network. Though the Nigerian government has taken steps to classify bandits as terrorists, further legal reinforcement and international collaboration are needed.
The current trajectory is unsustainable. If Nigeria does not swiftly and resolutely act, the country risks descending into a state of total anarchy. Bandits are everywhere, and unless they are stopped, the nation could go up in smoke. The Federal Government must be more proactive. It must invest in drones, satellite tracking, and intelligence gathering and sharing. Commendably, the Nigerian Air Force has effectively used drone surveillance in Zamfara to track and neutralise bandits.
A full-scale invasion of the South is possible if Southern governors remain passive, these criminal groups will establish deeper roots. If forest encroachments are not reversed, the South will soon have ungoverned territories like the North. Moreover, if the South remains fragmented, without forging a coordinated response to the threats to their collective existence.
Southern states must rise to the occasion and take security into their own hands. Initiatives like Amotekun in the South-west should be strengthened, well-funded, and legally empowered to operate independently across the South.
Southern governors, especially in the South-east must collaborate to tackle this existential problem and reclaim their forests from illegal occupants. Ondo State’s crackdown on criminal settlers in its forests should be replicated across the South.
Residents should be sensitised on security threats and equipped with defence mechanisms to repel attacks. Communities in Benue have successfully repulsed attacks by forming armed resistance groups.
The North should also sensitise its people. Without justifying jungle justice, the carnage in Edo would never have happened if the ‘hunters’ were not seen with the cache of dangerous weapons in public, which triggered the alarm that resulted in the avoidable killings.
As banditry spreads from the North to the South, fear grips communities that suspect a deeper, more sinister motive behind the wave of insecurity. Is this merely a case of unchecked criminality, or are these bandits acting as foot soldiers for a larger agenda of territorial expansion, religious hegemony, political destabilisation, or economic sabotage?
The South cannot afford complacency. The encroachment of bandits into its territories is not a speculation but an evolving reality. If urgent action is not taken, Southern Nigeria could become the next epicentre of unchecked violence. The time to act is NOW.