South West Banditry: Community ‘Balance of Terror’ as Lasting Solution

Nigeria’s security agencies have repeatedly failed to understand how bandit networks operate. Official figures now suggest up to 80,000 Fulani and Boko Haram insurgents roam our forests. Recent incursions of some 25,000 into the South West threaten its economic stability. Conventional policing has not stopped kidnappings or murders. Communities like the Ebira in Kogi and many in the South East and South South have instead formed local defense arrangements, turning fear into a deterrent. This ‘Balance of Terror’ can work here too. Governors and the federal government should partner with traditional rulers to fund and regulate a coalition of local security groups—OPC, Iru Ekun, Agbekoya, hunters and others. Proper legislation and oversight would allow them to carry sophisticated arms and restore peace within weeks, safeguarding South West communities.

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