society
Banditry in Nigeria: When Governance Failure Becomes Armed Authority
Banditry in Nigeria: When Governance Failure Becomes Armed Authority
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG
“Why military force alone cannot defeat a crisis rooted in poverty, political incentives and institutional retreat.”
In large stretches of Nigeria’s Northwest, the state no longer holds a monopoly on violence or authority. Armed groups raid villages, collect levies, regulate mining routes, negotiate ransoms and enforce their own rules. This is commonly described as a “security crisis.” It is more accurate (and more troubling) to describe it as governance failure that has matured into armed parallel administration.
Banditry is not merely a breakdown of law and order. It is what happens when the social contract collapses.
Between 2018 and 2023, thousands of Nigerians were killed or abducted in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Sokoto states. Mass school kidnappings in Kankara, Jangebe and Kuriga drew global attention. Entire farming communities have been displaced, deepening food insecurity in a region already burdened by poverty. According to national data, the Northwest consistently records some of the highest poverty and out-of-school rates in the country; structural conditions that create fertile ground for recruitment into armed networks.
But statistics alone do not explain why banditry became systemic.
The roots lie in prolonged institutional retreat. Rural policing is thin. Judicial access is limited. Land governance mechanisms to resolve farmer–herder disputes remain weak or politicized. Youth unemployment remains chronically high. In many districts, citizens interact more frequently with traditional rulers or armed actors than with formal state institutions. Over time, coercive groups evolve from opportunistic criminals into structured authorities.
The 2011 collapse of Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi further intensified this trajectory. Arms proliferation across the Sahel dramatically increased the lethality and organizational capacity of non-state actors. Nigeria’s porous northern borders allowed weapons trafficking networks to expand faster than enforcement capacity. What were once communal clashes involving rudimentary weapons transformed into heavily armed insurgent-style operations.
Nigeria has seen this pattern before.
The rise of Boko Haram in the Northeast offers a cautionary precedent. In its formative years, the group was often underestimated, politically entangled, or viewed through a narrow security lens. Allegations referenced in a United Nations Panel of Experts report connected early elements of the group to political actors, including former Borno governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who has denied wrongdoing. Regardless of individual culpability, the broader institutional lesson is clear: political systems that tolerate, manipulate, or underestimate armed movements risk enabling forces that ultimately escape all control.
Today’s bandit formations in the Northwest differ ideologically from Boko Haram, but they share structural similarities: they emerged where governance deficits were deepest.
The political economy of insecurity complicates resolution. Kidnapping-for-ransom has become a multi-million-naira industry. Informal taxation systems imposed by armed groups generate steady revenue. Illicit gold mining operations flourish under armed protection. Meanwhile, security votes allocated to state executives remain largely unaudited, and emergency procurement frameworks often operate with limited transparency. When instability expands discretionary authority or financial opacity, reform incentives weaken.
This incentive distortion is central. Sustainable peace requires that the political and financial costs of insecurity outweigh any perceived benefits derived from it.
Military force remains necessary. Territorial recovery and civilian protection demand it. However, purely kinetic responses cannot dismantle recruitment ecosystems rooted in poverty, illiteracy, land disputes, and institutional distrust. Each successful operation that clears a forest camp without restoring governance presence creates only temporary stability.
The deeper crisis is absence of state legitimacy in rural zones. Where courts are inaccessible, armed arbiters emerge. Where taxation yields no visible services, alternative collectors impose their own levies. Where young men perceive no economic pathway, armed entrepreneurship becomes rational.
Reversing this trajectory requires structural intervention:
Institutionalized farmer–herder mediation mechanisms with enforceable land titling frameworks.
Rural education investment targeting out-of-school populations vulnerable to recruitment.
Transparent auditing of security expenditures to realign incentive structures.
Border security cooperation with Sahelian neighbors focused on arms tracing.
Targeted agricultural modernization and rural employment programs.
Crucially, governance must return visibly and credibly; not as episodic military convoys, but as functioning courts, schools, healthcare systems and accountable budgeting processes.
Nigeria’s banditry crisis is not accidental. It is the predictable outcome of prolonged neglect intersecting with regional destabilization and distorted political incentives. The language of “war against bandits” obscures the more urgent imperative: reconstruction of state authority through legitimacy, transparency and service delivery.
Until governance reaches the villages, forests will continue to produce armed alternatives.
And no volume of airpower can permanently defeat a vacuum.
society
Concerned Uniry Schools Alumni Storm Lagos, Abuja, Kano Over ‘Secret’ Land Swap Deal
Concerned Uniry Schools Alumni Storm Lagos, Abuja, Kano Over ‘Secret’ Land Swap Deal
LAGOS, NIGERIA – A nationwide confrontation is brewing as members of several old students of Unity School known as Federal Government Coleges move from quiet concern to open resistance over what they describe as a “secretive” land swap deal threatening the assets of Nigeria’s Federal Unity Colleges.
On Saturday, May 9, over 4,000 alumni are expected to flood the streets of Lagos, Abuja, and Kano in a coordinated awareness walk, branded under the rallying call “Pro Unitate – Better Together.” The protest targets a controversial Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement at Federal Government College (FGC) Kano, which proposes swapping approximately 30 hectares of school land for N8.5 billion in infrastructure upgrades . According to sources, this is said to be one of 18 such PPP concessions already entered into by the FME without any consultation with the alumni of these schools.”
The deal, approved by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and awarded to Pluck Global Construction Company, would see the developer renovate classrooms, build hostels, and construct a health centre in exchange for prime land bordering the 53-year-old institution, land alumni estimate is worth over N36 billion .
For many within Alumnus of these schools, the issue goes beyond property, it strikes at the very soul of a system designed to unite a diverse nation. But the fiercest opposition comes directly from Kano, where the deal has ignited a firestorm.
“This is not just about land or infrastructure. It is about preserving a national idea,” said Shoyinka Shodunke, Global President of the FGC Kano Old Students Association (FGCKOSA). Speaking to journalists ahead of the protest, Shodunke did not mince words regarding the government’s decision to exclude stakeholders.
“Unity Schools were established as symbols of excellence, integration, and nation-building. Any action that diminishes their integrity reflects a troubling disregard for the power of education as a driver of national progress,” Shodunke stated .
He described the proposed PPP project as a fundamental threat to the institution’s legacy, warning that the introduction of a mixed-use residential and commercial estate sharing boundaries with the school exposes students to avoidable risks.
“The land identified for this project is meant for learning, not for a residential or commercial estate. Introducing a mixed-use development adjacent to the school erodes the controlled environment required for effective learning,” Shodunke added .
In a detailed petition to President Bola Tinubu, which has now garnered thousands of signatures across all Unity Schools, the alumni argue that the process lacked transparency. They noted that they were never consulted, despite having collectively invested billions of naira in the college over the years without taking a single plot of land in return .
Shodunke further revealed that the association has already established a dedicated foundation and plans to launch a N5 billion development fund in June 2026, insisting that credible, mission-aligned funding alternatives exist without compromising the school’s integrity .
As the May 9 walks in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano draw near, the Federal Ministry of Education has yet to issue an official response to the petitions. However, the developers have insisted that the deal followed due process .
For Shodunke, the walk is a final warning. “We will not relent in pursuing all lawful and legal avenues to overturn this illegal arrangement,” he declared . Alumni warn that any attempt to proceed with the land swap while legal challenges and protests are pending will be met with massive civil resistance.
society
Over 4,000 Old student of Federal Government Colleges Sign Petition Against FGC Kano Land Swap Deal rejected by Alumni Nationwide
Over 4,000 Old student of Federal Government Colleges Sign Petition Against FGC Kano Land Swap Deal rejected by Alumni Nationwide
In a powerful display of unity, more than 4,000 old students of Federal Government Colleges have appended their signatures to a formal petition rejecting a controversial land swap deal at the Federal Government College (FGC) Kano, setting the stage for a coordinated awareness walk across three Nigerian cities.
The petition, addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education, has become the rallying point for alumni from all 104 Federal Unity Colleges, who are demanding an immediate halt to what they describe as an “opaque and dangerous” public-private partnership arrangement.
According to documents obtained by our correspondent, the proposed deal would swap approximately 30 hectares of FGC Kano’s land—valued by alumni at over N36 billion—for N8.5 billion in infrastructure upgrades, including classrooms, hostels, and a health centre.
The petition, which has now crossed the 4,000-signature threshold, accuses the government of failing to carry out due diligence or consult key stakeholders before approving the agreement with Pluck Global Construction Company.
“These signatures represent the collective voice of thousands of Nigerians who believe that our Unity Schools are not bargaining chips,” said Shoyinka Shodunke, Global President of the FGC Kano Old Students Association (FGCKOSA). “We have invested our hearts, our resources, and our futures into these institutions. To see even an inch of our land swapped without our consent is an affront to everything we stand for.”
Shodunke, speaking exclusively to our reporter, revealed that alumni have already established a foundation and plan to launch a N5 billion development fund in June 2026 as a credible alternative to the government’s proposal.
“We are not just opposing; we are offering solutions,” he said. “But the government must first respect our voice. Over 4,000 signatures is not a small number. It is a movement.”
The petition details several grievances: lack of transparency in the bidding process, failure to consult the school’s board of governors or alumni associations, and the potential security risks of introducing a mixed-use commercial and residential estate adjacent to a secondary school.
Armed with the petition, alumni have concluded plans to embark on an awareness walk on Saturday, May 9, in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. Organisers expect thousands to turn out in each city, carrying copies of the petition and demanding an audience with government officials.
In Lagos, protesters will gather at the Eko Atlantic city before marching to the Muri Okunola Park VI. In Abuja, the walk will culminate at the Eagle Square , where the petition will be formally submitted. In Kano, alumni will assemble near the school premises before heading to the Korota Park/Jubilee Line.
“The walk is not a riot. It is an appeal,” Shodunke clarified. “But it is also a warning. We have the signatures. We have the people. And we will not be ignored.”
As of press time, the Federal Ministry of Education had not issued an official response to the petition. However, a source within the ministry confirmed that officials are aware of the growing opposition and the planned protests.
Alumni leaders remain undeterred. With over 4,000 signatures already secured and days still to go before the May 16 walk, they expect the number to swell further.
“Every new signature is another voice saying: ‘Not our land. Not our legacy,’” Shodunke said. “We will walk until that message is heard.”
society
PENTECOST TRUTH SCHOOL OF DELIVERANCE ANNOUNCES ‘FRESH FIRE RECHARGE CONFERENCE 2026’
*PENTECOST TRUTH SCHOOL OF DELIVERANCE ANNOUNCES ‘FRESH FIRE RECHARGE CONFERENCE 2026’
The Pentecost Truth School of Deliverance and Prophetic Ministries has announced its upcoming one-day impartation and recharge conference, *‘Fresh Fire Recharge Conference 2026,’* slated to commence on *Saturday, 23rd May 2026*, from *9:00AM to 3:00PM*.
With the Theme; *“Deliverance: Past, Present and Future”* from 2 Corinthians 1:10, the conference will hold at the School of Deliverance, 28 Ojo-Ola Street, Beside Globus Supermarket, Iyana-Ejigbo, Lagos*, and is specifically designed for old students, pastors, and deliverance ministers.
*Hosted by Pastor (Amb. Dr.) Sam O. Adekoya*, the conference brings together a lineup of seasoned ministers and teachers for a day of impartation, training, and spiritual renewal.
*Ministers Slated to Speak are
– *Pastor (Prof.) Tunde Agarah*
– *Pastor (Dr.) Femi Oke*
– *Pastor (Dr.) Daniel O. Joseph*
– *Prophet (Dr.) Adekunle Daniel*
– *Pastor (Amb. Dr.) Sam O. Adekoya* – Host
*Music Ministration* will be led by *Min. Isaac Joseph (ICE PRAISE)* and *The Voice of Truth Choir*.
*What Attendees should expect:*
According to organizers, the ‘Fresh Fire Recharge Conference’ is designed to equip ministers and workers in the deliverance ministry with fresh fire, biblical insight, and practical tools for effective ministry. Key features include:
– *Fresh Fire Impartation*
– *Deep Deliverance Sessions*
– *Expository Teachings*
– *Prophetic Ministration*
– *Conference Resource Materials* available at a token of *₦2,500*
– *Light Refreshment*
“This conference is a call to remembrance and rekindling,” said Pastor Sam Adekoya. “2 Corinthians 1:10 speaks of a God who delivered us from a deadly peril, and will deliver us again. Many ministers are weary. This is a divine setup for fresh oil, clarity, and strength for the next phase of ministry.”
*Admission and Registration:*
*Admission is FREE*, but *registration is compulsory* to assist with planning for seating and materials.
*Register Here:* https://forms.gle/QzQCmcFzKWYkkzJ9A
*Target Audience:*
All old students of the School of Deliverance, pastors, and deliverance ministers are
The Pentecost Truth School of Deliverance and Prophetic Ministries is a non-denominational training and ministry center focused on deliverance, prophetic teaching, and equipping believers for spiritual victory.
For Enquiries:* +2348023180581; +234 916 591 5711 (WhatsApp Only)
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