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This paper interrogates the relationship between trans-border arms' trafficking and the rising profile of armed banditry in Katsina State and by extension its implications on internal security of the State covering the period between 2010 and 2021. Theoretically, it is anchored on Social Disorganization Theory (SDT) of crime while methodologically; the paper utilizes both primary and secondary methods of data collection. Primary method on one hand, involves generating data via Structured Questionnaire (SQ) administered to target respondents selected through multi-stage sampling procedure. 400 respondents formed the sample size determined through Yamani (1967) statistical formula for sample size determination. While the secondary method on the other hand entails that data were generated from books, journals and web-based materials among others. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data generated from the field survey. The research hypotheses were tested using non-parametric statistics (chi-square) at 5% (0.05) level of significance. The study found no significant relationship between trans-border arms' trafficking and the rising rate of armed banditry in Katsina State. It however found the activities of arms traffickers and armed bandits as constituting a threat to internal security of the State in particular and the Northern region in general. The paper therefore concludes that the security situation of Katsina State may further deteriorate if nothing is urgently done to arrest the situation. Based on the findings and conclusion drawn, the paper recommends among others that the government should ensure that all the country's borders are properly manned by highly professional, motivated and incorruptible security agents and at the same time ensuring collaboration with other stakeholders, especially members of border communities in the fight against trans-border arms trafficking.
Adamu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.