“Why wait till we [all] die?” community vulnerability and response to banditry in selected rural communities in Nigeria

This article examines the phenomenon of banditry in rural Nigeria, using the social disorganization and human security theories as its foundation along with a qualitative research approach, involving KII, IDI, and FGD. Ineffective/poor policing system, widespread rural poverty, the article argues, increase communities’ vulnerabilities. It demonstrates that though the banditry problem may have serioulsy impacted many rural communities, it has also strengthened collective agency and resilience. The article here addresses the issue of community vulnerability and the need to strengthen community responses. The article urges the provision of improved social infrastructure, robust community policing systems, and a review of extant laws on firearms to allow communities to possess weapons for protection.