EFFECT OF BANDITRY ON EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGER STATE

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of banditry on educational development of Niger State. Development of this education can be achieve only in an environment of peace and harmony. It is not a hidden fact that Niger State is under severe security threat occasioned by banditry and kidnapping and other form of security challenges which affected educational development in the state. This paper relied on documentary method to analyzed its data.However, the paper used telcott person's model of structural functionalism which is traceable to the work of HerbertSpencer (1869), the theory was chosen on the basis of its arguments that society is made up of groups and institutions which constitutes the whole. It states further that each of these institutions that formed the society playsa part for the survival of the system. The paper found out that the incidence of banditry has greatly affected students' performance, enrolment and attendance,and thereby concludesthat, the problems of banditry is traceable to the problem of unemployment among citizens, injustice by those in position of authority, porous nature of Nigerian borders, poor motivation of security agents among others. It recommends measures in arresting the menace of banditry in the state, Government boarding schools in the affected communities should be converted to day secondary schools to encourage students attendance as mostly bandits operate in these communities at night,government should embark on enlightenment campaign when schools are reopened assuring the students, staff and parents of the safety of the students and staff so that they can concentrate on the normal academic activities which will leads to improvement in student's performance,government should strengthen security personnel's by providing them with sophisticated weapon to enable them confront bandits in other restore peace in this affected communities so that schools that are shut down can be reopened which will give opportunity to those children that could not attend school as a result of closure of schools,government should as matter of fact provides standby security in every school located in most of these affected communities as these will reduce fear and anxiety among the students and also encourage them to attend school regularly without any fear.