A Gendered Dimension in Understanding Armed Banditry in Northwest Nigeria: Vulnerability and Involvement

Given the escalating violence in Northwest Nigeria as a result of armed banditry, this chapter investigates the impact of the conflict on women and girls. By systematically unravelling a gender-differentiated analysis that draws on feminist discourses on victimization and crime, our study addresses questions related to the victim - perpetrator dichotomy in conflict. We do this by examining the unexplored issue of the symbiotic relationship between armed banditry and the direct involvement of women in militia groups. After all, women and girls are not merely victims or survivors but also take active roles in violence, by collectively and criminally organizing themselves. Unfortunately, this is an aspect of the conflict that continues to receive minimal attention in the conflict studies literature. Our study’s examination of these gendered dynamics in conflict thus presents an understanding of the realities of women across two broad spectrums—as perpetrators and as victims—moving away from the current gendered victim - survivor dynamics that feature prominently in the literature. We also highlight the economic and social contexts that trigger these realities, the construction and deconstruction of popular narratives, by the media, state actors and general populace  and the social and economic impact of the phenomenon on women’s vulnerabilities and livelihoods. This chapter aims to present and encourage debates that question and advance the study of changing gender systems during conflict in patriarchal societies. The chapter concludes with adaptive policy recommendations to strengthen the resilience of communities in Northwestern Nigerian states in the government’s effort to counter the threat from armed banditry.