Banditry: TETFUND researchers want FG to invest in technology

…they propose the death penalty for bandits and informants

The federal government has been urged to increase investment in technologies such as drones, implement satellite-assisted surveillance and monitor hard-to-reach areas to combat banditry.

They were part of the research recommendations presented during an online peer review workshop conducted by university researchers who studied armed bandits and banditry in Nigeria; history, nature and panacea. The workshop was funded by a TETFUND grant.

In a bid to curb bandit attacks in communities across Nigeria, scientists have tasked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to instruct service chiefs to use non-kinetic approaches rather than kinetic ones.

“Although banditry has led to displacement, unemployment and poverty in some affected communities, the affected people want the government to adopt a non-kinetic approach along with kinetic one by building community resilience through the provision of communication gadgets to community members for intelligence gathering and incident reporting,” the researchers revealed.

The researchers, led by Olajide Akanji, professor and principal investigator, argued that the lack of such gadgets hampers evidence collection, reporting and investigations into perpetrators in communities, as well as hampers investigations into these crimes.

They also called on the government to empower communities and individuals to defend themselves rather than feeling helpless in the face of attack.

The study participants also called for the creation of community policing to respond more effectively to bandit attacks in local communities. More importantly, communities prone to bandit attacks need regular security awareness and sensitization training.”

Speaking further, Akanji stated that the participants demanded harsh punishments such as the death penalty for the bandits and their informants in the community to deter others.

Read also: Improving the financial performance of Nigerian enterprises by implementing new technologies

They also called for greater cooperation between traditional institutions, security agencies and community leaders to stop these activities in the bud.

They found that in places where success had been achieved, inter-agency cooperation had been used to combat banditry and recommended that the federal and state governments concerned provide adequate support for the long-term rehabilitation and resettlement of victims of banditry.

The researchers, who collected data from the North-West, North-Central, South-East and South-West zones, noted that there was a need for regular deployment, monitoring and surveillance of communities prone to bandit attacks. They added that data showed that bandits attack communities very early in the morning or late at night, while others attack communities on market days for food theft, kidnapping and displacement.

They said it was important for the government to prioritize the care of security agents working in communities affected by banditry across the country. At the same time, they said the government must invest in technology such as drones, as well as implement enhanced satellite surveillance and monitoring of hard-to-reach locations.

Participants argued that the lack of such gadgets makes it difficult to gather evidence, report on and investigate perpetrators in communities.

The study also found shortcomings in the government’s response to combating banditry, including the practice of releasing arrested bandits and returning them to the community. This undermined trust in the legal and security framework, deterring individuals from reporting suspicious activity due to fear of retaliation.

Other problems include: the lack of implementation of decisions taken during investigations, which leads to a gap between government promises and implementable results; poor assessment and failure to adapt government responses to evolving banditry threats; and delays in providing assistance to victims.

The validation workshop was attended by representatives from the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Office of the National Security Adviser, UNDP and Amotekun from Oyo and Ekiti States, as well as other stakeholders.