Effects of Armed Banditry on Socio-Economic Development: A Study of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the effects of armed banditry on socio-economic development of Batsari Local  Government Area of Katsina State as study area. In Katsina State, majority of the population engage in  agriculture as full farmers. Armed banditry in Batsari Local Government Area basically involved scores of  gunmen on motorbikes sweeping into communities, shooting all the young men they can find on the  assumption that they belong to local vigilantes, and then carting away food stuffs, livestock, kidnapping  people for ransom and taking away valuable things, thereby hindering socio-economic development of the  entire area. The main objective of the study was to ascertain the effect of armed banditry on the socio economic development of residents of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State. The study adopted  descriptive research design, which is cross-sectional survey in nature, and used questionnaire to  collect data from 300 randomly selected respondents. The findings indicated that kidnapping, cattle rustling  and armed robbery have negative effect on socio-economic development in Batsari Local Government Area  of the State. Given the findings, the study recommended that the government should provide free and  mandatory education for all citizens, in order to reduce the level of illiteracy, while the local government  system should be strengthened to enable the Local Government Councils live up to their responsibility of  providing for the needs of the people at the grassroots in order to reduce the rate of poverty and crime at  this level of government.