Impact of Banditry on Agricultural Output in Nigeria

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of banditry on Nigeria’s agricultural output with an emphasis on herdsmen attacks between 2014 and 2020. The study employs a quantitative research method, with the source of data being a secondary source. The proxies used for the independent variable are the total number of deaths resulting from pastoralists’ attacks, the total number injured by pastoralists, and the total number of internally displaced persons, while the agricultural output percentage of GDP was used to proxy the dependent variable. The data was collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin, 2020, the Global Terrorism Database, 2020, and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center Database, 2022. The data was analysed using Auto-regressive Distribution Lag (ARDL). The results of the study show that as the number of deaths from herdsmen attacks increases the agricultural output decreases, while the number of injured from herdsmen attacks has no significant effect on the agricultural output. Furthermore, the results reveal that as persons become displaced internally, agricultural output rises. The study recommends that the government should provide more securities aid to the farming communities, provide adequate healthcare for these communities, and also help the internally displaced farmers and others to settle quickly to their new environment and provide them with adequate tools to engage effectively in agricultural activities.