Inside The Expanding Terror Belt: How Armed Networks Now Grip Nine Northern States

   

By SANI BATURE

NORTHERN Nigeria is caught in a rapidly evolving security crisis driven by a loose but deadly coalition of bandits, foreign jihadists, armed herders, and criminal gangs. Stretching across Sokoto, Kwara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kogi, and Niger, these groups have carved out strongholds in forests, border corridors, and remote communities—creating what security analysts now describe as a vast, shifting terror belt.

Unlike structured insurgent groups such as Boko Haram or ISWAP, these networks are fluid. They merge and splinter quickly, change leaders, and collaborate across borders. Sunday Vanguard’s field investigation reveals how local bandits have absorbed fleeing fighters from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, transforming scattered criminal cells into highly mobile, heavily armed units capable of rapid, coordinated attacks.

Sokoto: A Twin Threat of Bandits and Jihadists

Sokoto has become one of the most volatile states, home to profit-driven Fulani bandits and the more ideological Lakurawa jihadists.

• Fulani bandits focus on kidnappings, livestock theft, and extortion, operating from dense forests like Gundumi and Tureta.

• Lakurawa militants, many fleeing Mali, enforce harsh religious codes, punish dissent, and set up camps in Gongono.

Residents live in perpetual fear, often sleeping in the bush to avoid nighttime raids. Entire markets and farmlands have collapsed.

Kaduna: Where Criminal Gangs Meet Extremist Cells

Kaduna’s security landscape blends ransom-driven criminal gangs with Ansaru-linked extremists who target schools, mining sites, and rural communities.

Militant camps thrive in Kuyello, Maganda, Gagumi, and Gayam, where they compete for control of gold and lithium mining fields.

Farmers in Birnin Gwari say they now need security escorts just to reach their farms.

Kano: Struggling with Katsina Spillover

Bordering communities in Kano face relentless raids from Katsina-based bandits using massive motorbike convoys. Poor roads and thick forests mean help often arrives too late. Fear has forced residents to impose informal curfews and rely heavily on vigilante groups.

Kwara: Mahmuda Faction and Foreign Bandits

Kwara’s remote areas have become a playground for the Mahmuda faction, Fulani herdsmen, and Nigerien bandits.

Kidnappings are frequent, especially in Baruten, Edu, Kaiama, and Patigi. Survivors describe attackers who know the forests intimately and strike without warning. Despite state deployments, forest insurgency remains resilient.

Benue: Militias and Armed Herders Seeking Territorial Control

Armed herdsmen and militia networks have seized farmlands, imposed curfews, and even collected taxes. Villagers say these armed groups now function like a “parallel government.”

Displacement is massive, schools are shut, and farms have been abandoned—deepening the state’s humanitarian crisis.

Kogi: A Transit Hub for Bandits on the Move

Kogi’s forests serve as both hideouts and transit routes for criminals fleeing military pressure from neighbouring states.

Yagba and surrounding communities suffer frequent night raids, with abductors taking advantage of hilly terrain and poor roads.

Markets have collapsed, schools struggle to operate, and whole families migrate to safer towns.

Kebbi: Migrating Armed Groups from Three Directions

Kebbi has become a convergence point for fighters from Zamfara, Sokoto, and Niger Republic.
Farmers in Zuru Emirate report being forced to pay levies before harvesting crops. Despite military raids, the ease of cross-border movement keeps the threat alive.

Niger: Forests Sheltering Mahmuda Factions and Local Gangs

Vast forest belts in Niger State shelter Mahmuda splinter groups, armed herders, and gangs that target mining sites, farms, and highways.

Attacks are swift and unpredictable. Even after airstrikes, militants regroup quickly, making Niger one of the most persistent hotspots.

Katsina: Long-Established Bandit Empire

Katsina remains one of the epicenters of organized banditry. Groups entrenched in Rugu and other forests conduct mass abductions, extortion, and nighttime raids. Entire villages have emptied out as families flee repeated attacks.

Zamfara: Headquarters of Foreign-Linked Jihadists

Zamfara is ground zero for the Lakurawa and Mahmuda factions operating with foreign fighters.
Motorcycle convoys, sophisticated weapons, and insider intelligence make their operations difficult to contain.

Mass kidnappings, abandoned farms, and shut schools have created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region.

A Complex Crisis Demanding Multi-Faceted Solutions

Across the nine states, the armed groups blend ideology, profit, and territorial ambition, leveraging:

• Unpoliced forests

• Porous borders

• Weak intelligence systems

• Local collaborators

• High levels of poverty and displacement

Security experts insist that military action alone cannot solve the crisis. A lasting solution requires:

• Intelligence-driven operations

• Regional and cross-border cooperation

• Stronger state presence in rural areas

• Community engagement and early-warning systems

• Development projects to reduce recruitment into armed groups

Without decisive, holistic action, millions across Northern Nigeria remain trapped in cycles of fear, displacement, and economic ruin.