YOUTH BANDITRY IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: AN EAGLE EYE ON THE SECURITY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS.

Abstract

consequences on the security and socio-economic spheres of the people of the region. However, in spite of the traction
the subject has gained in recent times, no adequate attention has been devoted to the involvement of youth in the
nefarious act. This study therefore is aimed at lling this seeming knowledge gap. The study utilizes secondary data
sourced from textbooks, articles, journals and the internet. While content analysis was used in analyzing the data, the
theory of Frustration Aggression is adopted to explain why some youths have decided to take to banditry. The ndings
reveal that youths are the major perpetrators of banditry in northern Nigeria, and that their activities have grave
security and socio-economic impacts on the entire region. This is seen in the sustained loss of lives and property as a
result of killing, stealing and looting by bandits; loss of farmlands and cattle among others. In view of these, the paper
recommends thus: Leaders in northern Nigeria should fulll their obligations to their youth as contained in the 2009
National Youth Policy document to make them better citizens and prevent them from taking to crime. In doing this,
their education, welfare, skill development etc. should be of utmost priorities; All borders within and between Nigeria
and her immediate neighbours in the North should be properly policed to check the inux of bandits into the country;
The National Assembly should come up with amendment to section 214 (1) of the 1999 constitution to allow for the
creation of state police so that northern states can recruit, train, equip, fund and deploy their own police personnel to
strategic locations in the north to combat the menace of youth banditry.etc.