POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND RURAL BANDITRY IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

The culture of violent politics has inadvertently fostered conditions in which non-state 
actors, such as rural bandits, thrive, becoming a strong barrier to nation-building efforts in 
Nigeria. This paper examined the instrumentation of violence by political elites as the driver of 
rural banditry in Nigeria. It adopted strain theory to interrogate how politically motivated 
assassinations, kidnapping of opposition candidates, structural inequalities, weak institutional 
capacity, and elite manipulation of security discourses have engineered and allowed rural 
banditry to flourish. The study employed a correlational research design with a sample size of 
400 respondents selected across three communities in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of 
Benue State. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Data retrieved was 
analysed using simple percentages and a frequency table, while Pearson Product-Moment 
Correlation was used for testing the hypotheses. Results revealed a significant relationship 
between politically motivated assassination, kidnapping, and rural banditry in the study area. 
The study concluded that the involvement of youths in politically motivated violence has 
exacerbated insecurity, weakened state institutions, and fostered a culture of impunity. It 
recommended, among other things, that political parties should be held accountable for violent 
activities linked to their members, ensuring they do not sponsor or encourage youth 
involvement in political violence. Also, the Nigerian Police Force, through special units, should 
be established to track and dismantle criminal networks involved in assassinations, 
kidnappings, and assaults.