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Armed bandits are becoming more sophisticated in strength, tactics and connections. It is no longer doubted that the gangs have trans-national networks with similar gangs across different parts of the West African sub-region.
This is demonstrated with the contacts and connections with different terrorist organizations within and outside the country. This year the bandits are celebrating a decade (2011-2021) of unabated and irrational acts of cattle rustling, maiming of innocent souls, kidnapping and gender based violence.
They have grounded the once prosperous rural economy and subjected the masses to social penury. A lot of energy, time and resources were invested by both state and nonstate actors in the fight against rural banditry.
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Unfortunately, the more the efforts, the stronger and deadlier they become, due to the involvement of multiple ‘invisible factors and actors’ benefiting from the conflict. Interestingly, Nigerian security agencies are now addressing these rural terrors ‘in the best language they understand’.
The new approach to rural insecurity if maintained and sustained will crush the ranks of these bandits. Already, some of the bandits have started succumbing to military pressure, some of the gangs pleading and calling for negotiation.
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Reports coming from the field demonstrated that most bandits are abandoning their motorbikes due to the policy of shutting-down all filling stations around the bandits’ zones. This policy alone is enough to end rural insecurity in the region, because no attack could be carried out without logistics and fuel is critical to the running of these motorbikes.
The table below is drawn from different communities close to the various camps. Also members of the vigilant groups and yan-sakai from the areas were contacted in the generating the lists.
Victims of kidnapping and young boys who offer different services to the bandits also provided information about the operations, membership strength and nature of diverse cells in their localities.
Even with that the figures are not exact, rather mere approximation. The list of leaders could be correct while their foot soldiers mostly roamed from one camp to another.
