AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF THE NIGERIA SECURITY AND CIVIL DEFENCE CORPS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST BANDITRY, IN KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA 2010-2020

Abstract

Nation-states of the world take the security of lives and properties as the paramount important to their existence as the most important tool for sustainable development which all nations strive to achieve. Adeyemi maintains that the global security environment is characterized by challenges particularly, cross border crime, drug-related crimes, armed robbery, kidnapping, racism, and human trafficking among others (Ogunjemilusi, 2021). Nigeria is not immune to these challenges, having faced with daunting security challenges with each region facing peculiar security threat. Top of this is Militancy in the south-south which was manifested in kidnapping and destruction of critical oil installations, separatist movement in the south-east, ethnic violence, ritual killings, cultism and street gangs in the south-west, and Boko-Haram insurgency/terrorism in the north-east. Others are, ethno-religious violence, farmers/herders clashes, Armed Banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom in the north-central and north-west among others which negatively affected the peace and socio-economic development of the country. This development propelled Nigeria negatively and ranked among the world’s fifteen most dangerous countries to visit and invest (Maryam and Hannatu, 2020). To this end, the Nigerian government at all levelss has been making a concerted effort to curtail these challenges by engaging the military, police and other paramilitary agencies and relevant stakeholders to tackle these security threats in all the geopolitical zones. Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) is one of the paramilitary and law enforcement agencies engaged by the federal and state governments in the fight against these menace across the country. In view of the above the chapter set to assess the role played by the NSCDC in the fight against armed banditry in Katsina state as one of the north-west states with critical security challenges, particularly armed banditry, cattle rustling kidnapping, and drug abuse among others