LOCALIZED PEACE IN A WEAPONIZED ENVIRONMENT: INTERROGATING COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PEACEBUILDING MECHANISMS AGAINST ARMED BANDITRY IN NIGERIA'S NORTHWEST
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Date
2026-02-08
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Centre for Democracy, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State
Abstract
Abstract
The protracted armed banditry and its associated threats to peace and security are gradually turning
Nigeria's Northwest into another regional theatre of violence. There is palpable tension and
heightened fear of possible replica in the magnitude of Boko Haram insurgency attacks in the
Northwest if decisive and urgent steps are not taken. Although State-level peace efforts have had
some initial success in the areas of weapon surrendering and releasing of kidnapped victims, these
have however not mitigated the threats that the recurring armed banditry poses to peace and
security desired by the region. As a qualitative research, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key
Informant Interview (KII) were conducted with relevant non-state actors on the application of
community-driven peacebuilding and conflict transformation approaches and their successes in
this current dispensation. Data generated from the field were complemented by reviewed literature.
As the epicentre of the armed banditry, the focus of this paper was consciously restricted to only
Zamfara State in order to interrogate community interventions in a more context-specific manner.
Among other things, this paper underscores the relevance of localised peace as a veritable tool for
building sustainable peace and tackling conflict at its source by recommending solutionist
strategies to state actors and others alike, just for the sake of peace in Zamfara State and the
Northwest as a whole. The study emphasizes in its conclusion that security challenges in the regionhave deeply local roots and therefore require community conflict transformation efforts and
traditional peacebuilding interventions as alternative methods of building sustainable peace and
promoting peaceful co-existence in a weaponized environment like Nigeria's Northwest.
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Citation
AKANNI, W. O., *YUSUF, T. B.*, & MUHAMMED, I. (2026) LOCALIZED PEACE IN A WEAPONIZED ENVIRONMENT: INTERROGATING COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PEACEBUILDING MECHANISMS AGAINST ARMED BANDITRY IN NIGERIA'S NORTHWEST,JOURNAL OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SOCIAL ISSUES, VOL. 3 No. 1, FEBRUARY 2026, ISSN: 2756- 6625(p), 2795-2002(e)