BANDITRY IN NIGERIA’S NORTHWEST: A REFLECTIVE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The menace of crime around the globe has raised the question of what underscore security. It draws attention to how criminals and their activities can be nipped in the bud. The concurrence of banditry activities in Nigeria's northwest region remains a ready case for discussion, giving the escalation in the number of cases of cattle rustling, kidnapping and other dreadful incidences affecting the residents of the region. The qualitative methodology was employed in the conduct of the research. The researcher paid a keen attention to the different forms of crimes around the above location and how best to keep it under check. It was observed that the region is volatile with the presence of an array of criminal elements who have overtime posed a humongous threat to the region, and the sovereignty of the Nigerian state as a whole. It was however, opined that, for peace and tranquility to return to the Northwest region of Nigeria currently bedeviled by nefarious activities of bandits, stakeholders at all levels must own the troubles by consciously agreeing to stamp out all enemies of peace. Furthermore, the paper recommended that the government should apply judicial jurisprudence in the prosecution of suspects arrested according to extant laws. Keywords: Banditry, Crime, Nigeria’s northwest