Nigeria’s Bandits Recruiting Women For Gunrunning: Unveiling The Disturbing Trend

Women’s participation in arms trafficking linked to banditry is on the rise in Nigeria’s north-west. Between December 2022 and February 2023, Nigerian police apprehended several female individuals involved in gunrunning in Zamfara State. These women were allegedly supplying arms and ammunition to bandits.

Banditry, encompassing armed robbery, kidnapping, murder, rape, and illegal firearms possession, presents a significant security challenge in Nigeria. Over the past three years, numerous reports have surfaced regarding illicit arms movement and sales in north-west Nigeria, often involving female traffickers.

In October 2021, a 30-year-old woman was arrested for supplying guns to bandits across several states, carrying 991 rounds of AK-47 ammunition. She was transporting these illicit goods from Dabagi Village in Sokoto State to a notorious bandit leader terrorizing Zamfara and neighboring states.

In March 2022, Nigerian authorities apprehended a 38-year-old woman involved in smuggling arms and ammunition from Plateau State to bandit camps in Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara. The suspect was found in possession of eight locally made AK-revolver guns, submachine guns, and 400 rounds of AK-47 ammunition.

The north-western region of Nigeria witnesses the activities of an estimated 30,000 bandits organized into groups ranging from 10 to over 1,000 fighters. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, attacks by these groups surged by 731% between 2018 and 2022, resulting in around 13,485 banditry-related deaths from 2010 to May 2023. ACLED data, reliant on local sources and media accounts, may not capture all incidents.

Banditry is pervasive across states such as Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Zamfara, and it’s gradually expanding into parts of north-central Nigeria and south-west Niger. The susceptibility to attacks in Nigeria’s north-west stems from a combination of factors, including poorly managed security resources, conflicts between herders and farmers, illegal gold mining, declining rural livelihoods, ineffective border management, weak law enforcement, and intelligence failures.

Porous borders and arms trafficking are identified by state officials as key enablers of banditry. Nigeria’s information minister in 2019 noted that a substantial portion of weapons used for terrorism and kidnapping are trafficked through the country’s borders, originating from conflict-ridden sub-Saharan African states including Libya.

The recent surge in women’s participation in arms trafficking reflects the economic downturn in north-west Nigeria, disproportionately affecting women. Umaima Abdurrahman, a gender activist, attributes this trend to poverty’s role as a significant driver of women’s involvement in criminal activities like drug trade and gunrunning.

The Global Multidimensional Poverty Index indicates that 80% of people in north-west Nigeria live in poverty. While gender-disaggregated data isn’t available, women bear the brunt of poverty, particularly in rural areas, where subsistence farming is common.

Women in the North-west face constraints in accessing financial services and the formal economy due to credit limitations. Moreover, low rates of girls’ enrollment in schools contribute to poverty among women, with only 47% receiving primary education in the region.

Limited livelihood options, lower wages, and intergenerational poverty cycles further entrap women. Bandits exploit this vulnerability by enticing women into arms trafficking in exchange for money or valuable items.

Although predominantly male-dominated, bandits involve women in their criminal activities using tactics similar to Boko Haram’s methods in north-east Nigeria. Terrorists recruit women as arms couriers, capitalizing on their lower likelihood of arousing suspicion during smuggling operations.

The increasing female participation in gunrunning poses a challenge that can be addressed through strategic intelligence gathering. Due to the misconception that women are less likely to be involved in organized crime, especially in leadership, trafficking, or recruitment roles, they often evade law enforcement’s radar.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasized security as a top priority in his inaugural address on May 29. While his commitment to enhancing security personnel’s training, equipment, pay, and firepower is commendable, the evolving nature of insecurity demands a holistic response.

It’s essential to recruit, train, and resource female security and law enforcement agents to support intelligence gathering at the community level. These officers should conduct searches and engage with women at checkpoints, especially those arrested for their involvement in organized crime.

Civil society groups and community leaders should raise awareness among women in affected areas about the personal and broader consequences of affiliating with bandits and arms traffickers.

Addressing the gendered disparities in education and the impact of poverty is paramount, as these factors render women vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups in Nigeria.