Banditry and the Development of Human Resources in Nigeria’s North-Central and North-West Geopolitical Zones

Banditry has significantly escalated in Nigeria over the past two decades affecting every aspect of lives especially in the North-East, North-West, and North-Central geopolitical zones. In the northeastern part of the country, Boko Haram has engaged in a violent insurgency since 2009 while other forms of banditry have become pervasive in the northwestern and central regions of Nigeria, with criminal groups engaging in armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, and attacks on rural communities, predominantly farmers. Reports abound of students’ and teachers’ abductions where schools have become soft targets for terrorists. Worshipers are not left out as churches are often attacked with priests abducted and even killed. Healthcare workers are also victims of banditry in the country. To this end, this research was conducted to ascertain the impact of banditry on the development of human capital particularly on education, healthcare and income generation. Primary research was conducted using an online questionnaire where it was found that banditry has negatively affected the access to education and healthcare as well the standard of living of respondents. It was therefore recommended that there should an increased budgetary allocation to the education, health, and security sectors with a view to increasing investments in human capital development in line with the human capital theory. Keywords: Banditry, education, healthcare, livelihoods, human capital development. DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/96-05 Publication date: December 30th 2025