TETFUND Researchers Task Tinubu, Govs Over Rehabilitation, Resettlement of Banditry Victims

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Researchers at the University of Ibadan have tasked President Bola Tinubu to charge the service chiefs to deepen the use of non-kinetic, more than kinetic approaches, to reduce bandit attacks in communities around the country.
This is just as they called for increased collaboration among traditional institutions, security agencies and community leaders to nip the activities in the bud.
This was part of the recommendations presented at an online validation workshop from researchers who investigated – Armed Bandits and Banditry in Nigeria: History, Character and Panacea – using TETFUND grant.

They found out that there were reported success where inter-agency collaboration was used in the fight against bandits.  
The researchers led by their principal investigator, Prof. Olajide Akanji and include Prof. Rasidi Okunola, Prof. Bentina Mathias, Prof Bukola Adesina, Dr. Nathaniel Danjibo, Prof. Adebimpe Adenugba and Prof. Oludayo Tade, enjoined governments at the federal and affected states to ensure that adequate support for long-term rehabilitation and resettlement of victims of banditry are made.
The researchers who collected data from the Northwest, Northcentral, Southeast and Southwest zones noted that there was the need for regular deployment, monitoring and surveillance of communities prone to bandit attacks.

They added that data has shown that bandits attack communities very early or late in the night while others attack on market days with a view to hijacking food, kidnap and displace communities.
While noting it was important for government to prioritise the welfare of security agents who work in bandit-affected communities nationwide, the researchers maintained that government needs to invest in technology such as drones and implement satellite enhanced surveillance and monitoring of hard-to-reach locations.
According to the researchers, “While banditry has led to displacement, unemployment and poverty in some of the affected communities, the affected people want government to also adopt non-kinetic alongside with kinetic approach by building community resilience through the provision of communication gadgets to community members for the purpose of gathering intelligence and reporting incidences.

“Participants argued that the absence of such gadgets has hindered evidence gathering, reportage and investigation of perpetrators in communities.
“They also wanted the government to empower communities and individuals to be able to defend themselves rather than feel helpless when attacked.
“The research participants also called for the creation of community policing to promptly attend to bandit attacks in local communities more effectively. More importantly, communities prone to bandit attacks need regular security awareness and sensitisation training.”
The principal investigator Akanji stated further that participants called for strict penalties such as death for bandits and their informants within the community to serve as deterrent to others.

The study also found lapses in government responses to the fight against banditry to include responses to bandit attacks in communities releasing and returning arrested bandits back to communities which have undermined trust in the legal and security frameworks and deterring individuals from reporting suspicious activities due to fear of reprisal.
Others are lack of implementation of decisions reached during investigations leading to a disconnect between government promises and actionable results, poor/lack of evaluation and adaptation of governments’ responses to evolving banditry threats and delays in aid delivery to victims as well as inadequate support for long-term rehabilitation and resettlement of victims of banditry.

The validation workshop was attended by the representatives of the Navy, Airforce, Office of the National Security Adviser, UNDP and Amotekun from Oyo and Ekiti states, among other stakeholders.