The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has traced the foundation of banditry in Northern Nigeria to the British conquest of the Northern Protectorate in 1903 and the subsequent amalgamation with the Southern Protectorate in 1914.
Ribadu, who delivered the combined convocation lecture of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, yesterday, chronicled banditry attacks in the North, including Lord Lugard’s encounters in Nupeland, Kano, and Borguland, where he was wounded by bandits.
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In the lecture titled: “Navigating the Maze: Addressing Multi-Dimensional Insecurity Challenges in Northern Nigeria,” Ribadu said, “The collaboration between Zamfara communities and bandits from both Nigerian and present-day French territories facilitated these crimes, turning the region into a criminal haven.
“The colonial administration’s response, which included stationing armed policemen along strategic routes in Sokoto Province to ensure security and collect caravan tolls, represented an early attempt to manage rural banditry.
“However, cross border crimes continued in the post-colonial period, worsened by civil wars and insecurity in the wider West African region.
“The smuggling of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) across porous borders has perpetuated violence and banditry in both rural and urban areas. The prevalence of these weapons continues to pose significant security challenges, impacting the stability and development of the region,” he said.
The NSA however, blamed the shift from historical banditry to the current crisis to the availability of modern weaponry, the erosion of traditional social structures and worsening economic hardships.
Confronting the challenges, Ribadu said President Bola Tinubu was deliberate in appointing northerners to top security positions and the Nigerian military on the kinetic front, conducting numerous operations targeting insurgents’ groups like Boko Haram and bandits operating in Northern Nigeria.
“The Nigerian government is adopting counter-insurgency strategies aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the local population, isolating insurgents from their support base, and preventing the recruitment of new members.
“These strategies involve engaging with communities, providing humanitarian assistance and promoting reconciliation and deradicalisation programmes,” Ribadu stated.
He further said since the coming of this administration, the country has not had any organised terrorism attacks and roads hitherto unsafe for commuters are today secured at any time of the day.