Author(s) :

NDER AII LUPER.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The conceptual nexus between national security and sustainable development is intrinsically symbiotic; the materialization of institutional and socio-economic progress relies heavily on a stable, secure, and predictable environment. Over the past decade, Nigeria has grappled with an escalating, multifaceted security crisis that has threatened its sovereign stability and severely compromised its developmental trajectory. This study empirically examines the impact of insecurity specifically armed banditry and kidnapping for ransom—on key indicators of sustainable development within Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Nigeria, covering the period from 2015 to 2025. Adopting an eclectic theoretical framework that synthesizes Frustration-Aggression Theory, Structural Functionalism, Social Contract/State Fragility Theory, and Human Security Theory, the study investigates how localized, non-state armed violence disrupts grassroots economic stability, agricultural productivity, and human capital development. A convergent parallel mixed-methods research design was deployed, utilizing both quantitative survey questionnaires administered to a sampled population of 398 respondents (comprising farmers, small business owners, and local residents) and qualitative Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) held with community leaders, security personnel, and executives of agricultural cooperatives. The empirical findings reveal that persistent armed banditry has decimated local commerce, triggered extensive capital flight, and crippled the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the local council. Furthermore, the commercialization of kidnapping has weaponized the agricultural sector, forcing widespread farm abandonment, reducing crop yields, and engendering an acute localized food security crisis. The study also confirms that deliberate targeting of educational and healthcare facilities has severely eroded human capital accumulation. The paper concludes that military kinetics alone are insufficient to address this crisis. It recommends a paradigm shift toward integrated, non-kinetic strategies, including community-centric intelligence architectures, formal institutionalization of localized vigilante frameworks, and the deployment of "Safe Farming Frameworks" to restore sustainable developmental trajectories at the grassroots level. KEYWORDS: Armed Banditry, Kidnapping for Ransom, Sustainable Development, Grassroots Economy, Chikun LGA.

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