Armed gangs called "bandits" have established themselves in Nigeria's countryside. Poverty and lack of government presence are believed to be behind the growing problem. The gangs attack, plunder and burn villages, demand "tax" and carry out kidnappings for ransom.
Nigeria's many bandit gangs have set up camp in a vast forest that stretches across four states. The unrest has developed from conflicts between herders and farmers over land and resources to a broader armed conflict driven by arms smuggling.
The violence has in recent years spread from its core area in the northwest – where the military has made some progress, according to analysts – to central northern Nigeria, where the situation is deteriorating.
Increased cooperation between the criminal gangs, which are mainly driven by economic motives, and jihadists – who have been waging a separate armed uprising in the northeast for 16 years – has worsened the attacks.
