INTER-STATE BOUNDARY SECURITY CHALLENGES AND BANDITRY: THE SOKOTO WEST SENATORIAL DISTRICT EXPERIENCES

Abstract

In recent times, Nigeria has been enmeshed in long-standing and deep-rooted security challenges and banditry that relate to mishandling of forests and inter-state boundaries. The rising insecurity lingered higher in the ungoverned forest areas of Northern part of the country, particularly with the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, cattle rustling, kidnapping and banditry in the North-West. In most cases, the stringent measures taken by some states or national governments or agencies in curbing the menace of the banditry and other security challenges have had serious spill-over effect on the communities sharing common boundaries with the ungoverned forest areas of those states.  The study therefore examines the security challenges and banditry faced by communities along the ungoverned forest areas. Specifically, a case study of the experiences of communities in Sokoto West Senatorial District along Sokoto – Zamfara boundaries were highlighted. Thus, through the use of in-depth interview, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and some documentary sources, the study established that bandits behavioral and environmental situational factors caused and heightened security challenges and banditry in the area. The environmental factors included forests locations such as Dutsen Kura, Tafkin Aja, Dusten Gwauro, and Tafkin Kaiwa bandits’ nests. The study also uncovered some opportunity-reduction measures taken by the affected communities such as massive clearance and cultivation of the forest suburb thereby converting them into farmlands for mitigating the effect of banditry and security challenges. Conclusion and recommendations of the study emphasis the relevance of banditry target hardening, target removal and variety or forms of surveillance techniques measures combined with community policing, military and other security agencies efforts for addressing the long-standing and deep-rooted banditry and security challenges in the inter-state boundaries of Northwest, Nigeria.