I have observed the killing of innocent people from December 2022 up to early 2026. The number of bandits has increased tremendously, and this has affected Nigeria badly, especially in places like Maiduguri, Jos, Kwara, and other regions. One begins to wonder how a country with leaders and numerous security agencies is still facing such a serious crisis.
Based on my research, I have discovered the following possible reasons behind these killings:
1. Poverty
Banditry is partly driven by poverty, especially in Northern Nigeria, where some parents release their male children at an early age to fend for themselves, while keeping the female children at home. This situation increases poverty levels and leaves many young people unemployed. As the economy becomes tougher every day, some youths can be lure to join terrorist or bandit groups as a means of survival and to escape poverty.
2. Money (Ransom)
Another major reason is money. Bandits engage in kidnapping and killings to demand ransom. As it is often said, “money is the root of all evil.” Many youths may see banditry as a fast way to make money. In many cases, bandits kidnap large numbers of people; sometimes 70 to 100 victims and also demand huge amounts of money, often hundreds of millions of naira.
3. Land and Mineral Resources
Conflicts over land and natural resources can also lead to violence and some lands are more fertile or rich in minerals such as gold, tin, or crude oil than others. This can drive groups to attack communities, displace residents, and take over such areas for their own benefit. Recently, many mineral resources are discovered most of villages or neighbouring town bandits invaded. This can be factor that make people to come together to form terrorist in order drive the owner or take over the land and the resource by force.
4. Revenge
Revenge is another factor. When one group attacks and kills members of another group, the victims’ relatives may seek retaliation. This cycle of violence continues and escalates over time. For example, there have been incidents where large numbers of people were killed and properties destroyed without any demand for ransom, suggesting revenge as the motive. Ones will wonder that what is reason behind their killing
5. Weak Security System
Nigeria’s security system also appears weak. In a country with strong security, it would be difficult for bandits to operate freely. However, there have been cases where armed groups enter communities, carry out attacks, and even take control of areas for hours and days without being stopped. This raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of the security agencies. Many bandit group are even sending message to the community to be visited and some open up about negotiations if community leaders do not want them to invade their communities.
6. Political Factors
This last one baffles me, and I cannot decode why government officers would be involved in sponsoring terrorists or supplying them with weapons.
According to research, many groups who were once government honourables may be trying to disrupt the peace of the country in order to use it against them in the next election. This happened during President Jonathan's regime; killings were so extensive that everyone was suggesting that Jonathan should resign from office. Then, when late Buhari came on board as a presidential candidate, he used insecurity as a yardstick for his election campaigns, stating that he was once a military head and if he were given power, he would end insurgency.
Another means reveals that most retired officers who were not taken good care of after their retirement, maybe their gratuity and pension are not well taken care of, may view it to form a terrorist in order to make it another source of income. In Kwara State, to be precise, more than 100 million has been paid to bandits as ransom between 2024 and 2026. Another source also argues that if not with government permission, how could a group of people bring in sophisticated weapons to Nigeria that would be more superb than our military weapons? Ever since, soldiers have been killed in the battle of insurgency. What has the government done for the families of soldiers that were killed in the battle? Because most soldiers that have encountered terrorists are either killed or wounded. Some cannot longer work, walk, hear or see again.
What has the government done for their family? How do they really care about the family? What is their gain of dying for their country?
These are reasons that make retired officers form or join bandits
bandits.
How could what you have outlined here be the cause of the rising increase of banditry in Nigeria, I bet to disagree with you on this one because that's not the cause of it, there are top government officials that are sponsoring this group of persons to kill the citizens and get paid, haven't you wonder where and how they are getting ammunitions from?, what kind of jobs do they do that will make them get sophisticated weapons and carry out their attacks if they are not sponsored by a group of people?,.
The government won't do anything to the victims of that ugly incident that took place in Jos and the ones that has happened before because they don't care about us and what we go through, how can bandits have a tiktok account and ask people to drop account details for giveaway and the government can't even do anything about it by tracking them, what is the big deal in wiping out this bandits that is terrorizing the citizens?, if the government wasn't part of it they would have done a massive attack on them.
