During the 1990s, Nigeria’s criminal landscape underwent a major transformation. Petty urban theft evolved into organised, militarised highway and urban crimes, driven by economic hardship, weak infrastructure, and the influx of small arms.”
Economic Backdrop: Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP)
In 1986, under General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria implemented the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. The SAP aimed to stabilise the economy by liberalising trade, reducing subsidies, and floating the naira. However, these measures led to a significant depreciation of the naira, from approximately ₦2.02 per US$1 in 1986 to between ₦17 and ₦22 per US$1 by 1993–95.
Consequently, purchasing power eroded, inflation spiked, and urban unemployment increased. As the formal economy contracted, many individuals turned to informal or illicit livelihoods.
Highways: From Arteries of Commerce to Corridors of Crime
The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, commissioned in August 1978, was Nigeria’s first expressway and one of the busiest inter-state routes in West Africa.
Designed to facilitate trade, its long stretches of poorly lit roads and chokepoints made it vulnerable to ambushes. Armed gangs exploited these vulnerabilities by felling trees across lanes, staging fake breakdowns, or impersonating security operatives to stop vehicles and rob passengers at gunpoint. These tactics transformed vital trade routes into zones of fear and insecurity.
The Surge in Armed Robberies and the Response
In October 1992, Lagos police recorded over 200 armed robberies in just two weeks. The surge in car snatching, house raids, and armed attacks eroded public confidence in security forces. In response, the police established the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in 1992. Operating in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles, SARS focused on infiltrating violent gangs. Initially, SARS was seen as an innovative response to urban insecurity. However, over time, the unit became notorious for human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.
Militarisation of Crime: The Role of Small Arms
The 1990s coincided with conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which flooded West Africa with surplus weapons. According to the Small Arms Survey and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), small arms, including AK-47s, were smuggled through porous borders into Nigeria. This influx of weapons transformed robbery dynamics. Gangs no longer relied on machetes or single-shot rifles; instead, they deployed assault rifles and, in some cases, grenades. This militarisation enabled prolonged battles with police and turned what were once opportunistic robberies into paramilitary-style operations.
Banks: New Targets for Organised Crime
The Nigerian banking sector expanded in the early 1990s, opening more branches to serve a growing cash-based economy. However, weak vault systems, predictable cash movements, and inadequate security measures made banks prime targets for armed robbers. Academic sources note that bank raids became increasingly professionalised, involving insider collaboration, careful timing, and sometimes the use of explosives to access vaults.
Consequences for Society and the State
The wave of highway and bank robberies had far-reaching effects:
Economic Impact: Transporters hired escorts, raised fares, or avoided certain routes, increasing the cost of trade.
Social Anxiety: Routine intercity travel became a source of dread for many Nigerians.
Institutional Strain: Police and, at times, military units were deployed in urban centers and along highways. Rights organizations documented extrajudicial killings, torture, and abuses as security forces resorted to harsh deterrence measures.
The balance between security and civil liberties tilted dangerously, leaving scars that shaped public mistrust of law enforcement for decades.
Long-Term Legacy
The armed robbery era of the 1990s did not disappear; it evolved:
Highway Robbery to Kidnapping: Highway robbery gave way to kidnapping for ransom, using similar ambush tactics.
Bank Heists to Cyber Fraud: Bank heists laid the groundwork for today’s cyber fraud networks, still reliant on insider collusion and coordination.
Proliferation of Small Arms: The proliferation of small arms established a violent baseline that has persisted in parts of Nigeria.
Ultimately, the 1990s highlight how crime adapts to structural conditions. Policing that relies only on force may reduce incidents temporarily, but without addressing root causes such as economic exclusion, porous borders, and corruption, the cycle mutates into new forms.
Author’s Note
This account corrects earlier errors: the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway was commissioned in 1978 (not the “late 1980s”), the exchange rate in 1986 was about ₦2.02 per US$1 (not ₦1 = US$1.50), and anecdotal robberies without evidence have been removed. What remains is a historically grounded account, based on verifiable sources, of how SAP-era hardship, weapons flows, and weak institutions reshaped Nigeria’s crime landscape.
References
World Bank. (1994). Nigeria Structural Adjustment Program. Retrieved from World Bank
Small Arms Survey & UNIDIR. (1990s). Arms Flows and Militarisation of Gangs. Retrieved from Small Arms Survey
Amnesty International. (1992). Nigeria: Death sentences and executions for armed robbery. Retrieved from Amnesty International
