Educational Challenges in Banditry Affected Areas of Sokoto State: A Case Study of Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State
Sani Usman Isa
Department of Nigerian Languages, Faculty of Arts, Sokoto State University, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria. Email: saniusmanisa@gmail.com
Abstract
Education is a fundamental instrument of human capital development, social mobility, poverty reduction and sustainable development. In north-western Nigeria, however, the escalation of armed banditry has increasingly disrupted educational activities and threatened the right of children to safe and continuous learning. This study examines the educational challenges associated with banditry in Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Nigeria. The study adopts a qualitative documentary research design and relies on scholarly publications, government documents and reports of international organisations concerned with education, insecurity and child protection. The analysis demonstrates that banditry has disrupted education in Isa through school closures and relocation, displacement of learners and teachers, declining enrolment and attendance, insecurity during movement to and from school, abandonment and deterioration of educational facilities, psychological trauma, household poverty and increased vulnerability of girls. These challenges are particularly serious because Sokoto State already faces substantial educational deficits. UNICEF data indicate that the proportion of children out of school in Sokoto is high, particularly at the upper-secondary level, while rural children experience significantly greater educational disadvantage than their urban counterparts. The study argues that banditry should therefore be understood not only as a security problem but also as an educational and human-security crisis. The article recommends an integrated safe-school strategy involving improved security, community-based early-warning mechanisms, rehabilitation of closed schools, teacher protection and incentives, psychosocial support, flexible learning arrangements, targeted interventions for girls and displaced children, and stronger collaboration among government, communities, traditional institutions and development partners. The study concludes that restoring safe and quality education in Isa is essential to breaking the cycle of insecurity, poverty, illiteracy and social exclusion in Sokoto State.
Keywords: Banditry, Education, Insecurity, School Closure, Isa Local Government Area, Sokoto State, Nigeria, Educational Disruption, Safe Schools
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