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Can New Policies Curtail Banditry in Northwestern Nigeria Amid the School Closure Crisis? Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 19 Issue: 18 By: Idris Mohammed September 24, 2021 05:26 PM Age: 7 months

  The series of attacks on schools, commuters, and communities in northwestern Nigeria has left families with traumatic experiences, displaced thousands of people from their homes and caused a deterioration of socio-economic activities, particularly in hinterland areas. For a region with a high rate of out-of-school children, northwestern Nigeria is facing increasing risks of further education deficits and low school enrollment due to attacks by armed banditry groups. In June, UNICEF reported that more than 13 million Nigerian children are not enrolled in school, which is more than anywhere else in the world ( Guardian.ng , June 22). Around eight million of those children are located in northern Nigerian states, where banditry-related and other Boko Haram terrorist attacks persist. The state of Zamfara is the nucleus of armed bandits operating in northwestern Nigeria. The state’s governor, Bello Matawalle, estimates there are over 30,000 armed bandits operating in forests in Zamfara an
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Armed Banditry in North West Nigeria: The Need for Traditional Approaches to Transitional Justice BY IDRIS MOHAMMED APRIL 29, 2022

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  The crisis of armed banditry and other violations in the North West of Nigeria should be addressed with traditional justice mechanisms within the framework of transitional justice, writes Idris Mohammed. The North West region of Nigeria has faced serious internal security challenges, ranging from cattle rustling and farmer–herder clashes to kidnapping and armed banditry, which have been exacerbated by illegal mining. A region that was largely peaceful until now faces complete insurrection. Drawing on past experiences of resolving conflict, traditional justice mechanisms within a transitional justice framework can provide holistic justice for victims while addressing community divisions. Zamfara state, with its motto “Farming is Our Pride,”used to be one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria. The introduction of sharia law in 1999 did not undermine its stability. Even the post-election violence of 2007 and 2011 that rocked almost the entire northern region did not affect the state. Y
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On Masari’s self-defense narrative By idris mohammed

  Let me start with calling attention to my dear   state governor   of Katsina, Aminu Masari, in his recent speech to locals to defend themselves against the deadly and heavily armed groups operating all over the state. Masari said, “Why should I seat in my village making calls to security forces without doing nothing, it’s ridiculous that people are not defending themselves against armed bandits”. Does that mean Masari was saying federal and state governments threw away their primary responsibility of protecting life and property of citizens and other persons residing in their domains? How can an armless and vulnerable villager confront an armed criminal with sophisticated weapons like Anti-aircraft or Ak-47? With my little knowledge of security and governance, I know one of the responsibilities of any democratically elected government is to ensure the management of the security sector in line with democratic best practices and provision of security as public good. To perform this fun
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On 15-year jail term for kidnapping By Idris Mohammed

The first time I heard the issue of paying ransom in Northern Nigeria was in 2018 when twin sisters were abducted by an armed group in Dauran village of Zamfara state. Their abductors demanded N150 million ransom, their demand generated concern in most of the  communities  of the state and some neighbouring states especially in the mosques where imams were requesting the congregations to contribute money for their release. They were later freed after the payment of N15 million. The above narration is one of the many stories of the agony and trauma people are facing in paying ransom, their frequent demand of ransoms pushed many people into bankruptcy, poverty and  destruction  of businesses in cities and rural  communities . Apart from an excessive levy they enforce on many farmers in local  communities  of Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Sokoto states, one must pay a huge amount of money for him to have access to his farmland. I recall my engagement with some local farmers in Zamfara, they
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Insecurity: Any End In Sight ?- Idris Mohammed

Writing on issue of insecurity is one of the most difficult and heart breaking because it is talking about human being killed under the watch of our so called leaders. Anytime I place my fingers on key board to analyze and put my opinion on the Nigerian state of insecurity I felt overwhelmed, so frustrated and headache, because the country is in serious danger and our leaders seem ruling the country from another planet. But we will not keep quiet watching things go on the wrong ways without putting in our contributions which might at least bring the attention of key influential and bring reforms in the sector. Recently, there were calls from some security conscious and minded people from all the corners of Nigeria calling the President to sack the security chiefs over the persistent increase of insecurity in the country. It is in this situation that Nigerian House of Representatives issued a new warning asking the service chiefs to either resign or be sacked, but the president wouldn’t
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Shasha Killings and the question of one Nigeria- Idris Mohammed

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  The recent intra-ethnic strife that rocked Shasa market, in Oyo state where innocent northern traders were killed and their properties worth millions of naira destroyed is condemnable. If a minor disagreement ensued between porter and the native could result to, or degenerate into hostile or violence, one is confused to conclude that, Shasha crises is nothing but evidently case of ethics intolerance. Surprisingly, both the hosting community and the Hausa traders have been conducting their business for decades. What has promoted this violence is still unknown. But in recent times, there are reported cases of ethnic stoking spearheaded by some bigots. The criminalization and stigmatizations of the Fulani race, followed by eviction notice from some south west governors are just the pointers. What about the emergency of Sunday Igboho, an ethnic warrior who incited violence against the Fulani herdsmen living in Oyo and Osun state? I think the Shasa ethnic crises are aimed at chasing out t
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