Assessment of the Role of Intelligence Sharing in Combating Banditry in Zamfara State

Banditry in Zamfara State has reached crisis levels, displacing hundreds of thousands, disrupting agricultural livelihoods, and overwhelming the security forces' conventional response capacity, making intelligence sharing between agencies a critical operational necessity. This study assessed the effectiveness of intelligence sharing mechanisms in the multi-agency response to banditry in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. A qualitative design was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted with 16 security personnel from four agencies (NPF, DSS, Army, and Customs Intelligence) operating in Zamfara, supplemented by documentary analysis of published joint operation reports and legislative intelligence-sharing frameworks. Thematic analysis identified patterns of inter-agency cooperation and failure. Results identified four primary intelligence sharing failures: jurisdictional protectionism between agencies (cited by 87.5 percent), absence of a joint fusion centre for harmonising different sources (81.3 percent), inadequate digital communication infrastructure in rural Zamfara terrain (68.8 percent), and personnel capacity gaps in tactical intelligence analysis (62.5 percent). One documented joint operation in 2022 that utilised shared intelligence was cited as a success model by all respondents. The study concludes that fragmented intelligence architecture is critically undermining counter-banditry operations in Zamfara. Recommendations include a dedicated North West security fusion centre, mandatory inter-agency intelligence exchange protocols, rural communication infrastructure investment, and intelligence analyst capacity development.

Keywords: intelligence sharing, banditry, Zamfara State, counter-banditry, security agencies