Nigeria: Nigerians Tell Their Stories of Banditry. 'A Month Will Not Go By Without Someone Being Killed in This Village.'

Banditry is widespread in Nigeria. It has been defined as "a loose collection of various criminal groups involved in kidnap-for-ransom, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape and sexual violence, pillage and attacks on traders, farmers and travellers, particularly in Nigeria's northwest region".

This criminal activity has caused deaths, displacement, destruction of property and widespread fear. In 2025 alone, 599 attacks were reported, with 2,742 casualties. This was a sharp increase from 2024, when 256 attacks and 1,585 deaths were recorded. Banditry has also extended its reach to the northwest and southwest of Nigeria.

Studies have examined its costs and implications, and possible mechanisms for addressing it. Still, knowledge about the nature and character of banditry remains limited.

As a sociologist, I investigated this national security threat with a view to understanding how the victims experienced it.

The study unpacks the method and timing of attacks and identities of the bandits, providing insights that can inform security planning. Knowing more about how bandits operate can help government and vulnerable communities to design preventive measures and adopt safety behaviours.

The study used data collected through in-depth interviews with focus group discussions in four of the six geopolitical zones where the problem of banditry is most widespread and prevalent: North-Central, North-West, South-West and South-East. The sample included 48 communities. Two key informant interviews were conducted in each local area: one with a state security official (police, military, paramilitary, or community vigilante) and one with traditional or community leader.

All the participants reported that their communities had experienced violent attacks by bandits, although at different times and in different ways and to varying degrees. They also emphasised the brutal nature of bandit violence.

Experiences ranged from farm invasion and destruction to animal theft, killing and kidnapping, gang rape and sexual violence, displacement of people and the pillaging of communities.

Alluding to the brutality of bandit attacks, a participant noted:

There was an attack by bandits where we lost over 20 people. We had the mass burial in a single day.

Participants, especially from rural communities in the North-Central and North-West regions, reported how frequent violent attacks forced many residents to vacate their villages, becoming internally displaced, suffer trauma, and live in perpetual fear.

A month will not go by without someone being killed in this village by ba