Nigeria: When the Forest Became a Fortress: How Climate Change Is Fueling Banditry in Southwest Nigeria

May 23, 2026 | Rafiu Babatunde Ibrahim
MouthpieceNGR
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For generations, Nigerians across the southwest have lived by the rhythm of two predictable seasons-the dry, dusty harmattan and the drenching, life-giving rains. The dry season, which typically arrives toward the end of the year and stretches into the early months of the new year, brings with it cold nights, hazy mornings, and a familiar dryness that clears the air and shrivels the undergrowth. It is a natural cycle that communities have depended upon not only for agriculture but also for security.