HUMAN SECURITY, ARMED BANDITRY AND STATE FRAGILITY IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA
Keywords:
armed banditry, state fragility, human security, Benue State, North-Central Nigeria, institutional weaknessesAbstract
Armed banditry in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria, severely undermines human security by disrupting personal safety, livelihoods, food access, and community stability amid persistent institutional weaknesses. This study examines the patterns, drivers, and human security impacts of banditry, together with the fragility indicators sustaining it, using state fragility theory as the primary framework (Carment et al., 2010; Fund for Peace, 2025). The study adopted mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 400 respondents in high-risk local government areas through 5-point Likert-scale questionnaires assessing perceptions of banditry patterns, impacts and fragility indicators. Qualitative insights were drawn from secondary sources. Scale reliability was confirmed via Cronbach’s alpha (0.70). Findings reveal coordinated rural raids as the dominant pattern, driven primarily by weak governance, arms proliferation, and poverty. Banditry exerted the most severe effects on personal safety, livelihoods and food security, with significantly lower human security composite scores in high-exposure areas (t(372.4) = −23.21, p<.001, Cohen’s d=2.395). Multiple linear regression showed fragility indicators explained 71.2% of the variance in perceived banditry intensity (R² =.712, p <.001), with weak governance/corruption (β =.421) and inadequate security infrastructure (β =.373) as the strongest predictors. The results corroborate state fragility theory, highlighting authority and legitimacy deficits as primary enablers of banditry in agrarian contexts. Recommendations include mandatory budget transparency with independent audits, targeted rural policing expansion , and youth employment/micro-finance programmes in high-risk areas to rebuild institutional capacity and disrupt the fragility banditry cycle.
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