“Darkening the Dark”: Assessing the Impact of Banditry on Educational and Socio-Economic Development in Northern Nigeria

Over these last few years, the Northern region of Nigeria has been ignited with spates of students’ abductions and ransom demands which throw parents, security agents, and government (both federal and states) into confusion. In fact, it has become an existential threat such that national dailies break even with captivating, yet regrettably stylistic reportage of this ugly menace. The popular discourse for this threat is rooted in the motive for financial gains. In contrast, this paper situates it within the context of education eradication and Islamization project. In this light, the paper aims to pigeonhole the interface between the rising menace of banditry in the Northern Nigeria and the mission of annihilating western education which would further set the region on the track of socio-economic backwardness and form the catalyst for Islamization. The current form of banditry has a close relationship with known terrorist groups in the Nigerian state (Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Ansaru) and therefore, has common ideology of eradicating education in the region and setting the center stage for Islamization. Abduction of students and ransom collections are just logic in furtherance of the ideology. The paper does not involve field work; hence it adopts a qualitative approach that draws data from scholarly works, newspapers, and publications from international bodies. It recommends therefore, that government adopt a stick and carrot approach; provide more security around schools and prosecute identified sponsors and apprehended bandits.