HIGHWAY BANDITRY ALONG ZAMFARA-KATSINA ROAD AND ITS IMPACT ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESIDENT COMMUNITIES

Abstract: This position paper provided major highlights of the impact of highway banditry on the people residing along the Zamfara-Katsina highway, precisely Gusau-Funtua road in the North-Western part of Nigeria, taking into account the socio-economic influence of the area under discussion. The paper examined how banditry affected a series of economic activities, especially farming, which is known in the areas, and also conducted inquiries as to why armed banditry continues to transform beyond the time frame anticipated by Nigerians as a result of a series of operations and measures claimed to have been adopted by the Nigerian government. The paper adopted a mixed research methodology of literature review and oral interview with a view to comparing data collected from the field and its relationships with the findings contained in the existing literature.