The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) launched a joint series of publications profiling non-state armed groups in West Africa that explores the intersections of their involvement in illicit economies and attempts at governance provision.
The first installment focused on Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in the Sahel. This second installment explores the dynamics of armed banditry in North West Nigeria, aiming to unravel their evolution, structure, and the illicit economies that bandit groups engage in for financing and resourcing, as well as their interactions with local communities and other non-state armed groups. Focusing on Nigeria’s North West region, this report explores the internal dynamics of armed bandit groups, as well as the ecosystem and landscapes within which they operate, identifying potential entry points for interventions.
