Why Military Operations Alone Cannot End Banditry In Nigeria – Nuhu Ribadu

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has that it is impossible for military operations alone to end banditry.

He stated that banditry has now gone beyond cattle rustling, highway robbery and kidnapping.

Naija News reports that the NSA spoke through the Director of Legal Services in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, at a brainstorming session on coping with banditry organised by the Sokoto Advancement Forum in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, on Saturday.

The NSA said Sokoto’s proximity to Niger Republic and the wider Sahel had given the crisis a cross-border dimension, with armed groups exploiting porous borders and security gaps to sustain their activities.

“Sokoto’s proximity to the Republic of Niger and the wider Sahel adds a significant cross-border dimension to this challenge.

“We must therefore combine intelligence-led operations, effective border management, regional cooperation and sustained action against the supply of illicit weapons and other logistical support,” he said.

Ribadu also called for measures to address the socioeconomic conditions that make young people vulnerable to recruitment by criminal groups, alongside lawful rehabilitation programmes for eligible individuals willing to abandon violence.

“Reintegration must never replace justice or reward violence,” he said.

The NSA outlined five key areas to improve security in Sokoto, denying armed groups safe havens, strengthening intelligence and early-warning systems, building community trust, protecting agriculture and rural livelihoods, and preventing youth recruitment into criminal networks.

He urged security agencies to improve coordination and information-sharing, adding that communities would be more willing to provide intelligence if they trusted authorities to respond effectively and protect sensitive information.