EFFECT OF INSECURITY ON STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL STABILITY AT FEDERAL UNIVERSITY GUSAU, ZAMFARA STATE

This study examines how insecurity has severely compromised academic performance at Federal University Gusau (2019-2024), with regression analysis revealing a 36.8% decline (β = -0.368, p < 0.001) in learning outcomes per 1% increase in violent incidents. While tertiary education remains crucial for national development, research has inadequately addressed how banditry- induced trauma specifically erodes cognitive performance in conflict zones - a critical gap this study fills. Using a mixed-methods approach (207 staff questionnaires, 7 interviewees, 2 groups of focus group discussion and institutional records analyzed through SPSS and thematic analysis), the research demonstrates disproportionate impacts: graduation rates fell from 34% to 29%, with female students and science programs (fieldwork capacity -61%) most affected. The findings, grounded in Resource Dependence Theory, reveal how insecurity disrupts the human and material resources essential for academic excellence. The study recommends trauma-informed pedagogies, restructure academic calendars and secure digital learning alternatives to mitigate these deficits. These evidence-based solutions provide urgent policy directions for safeguarding educational quality in Nigeria's insecure Northwest region, with broader applications for conflict-affected universities globally. The findings contribute to public administration scholarship by demonstrating how security crises disrupt institutional governance, necessitating adaptive policy frameworks. They validate resource dependence theory in crisis management while expanding human capital development discourse in fragile educational systems.