INSECURITY AND SMALL AND MEDIUM-SCALE ENTERPRISES PERFORMANCE IN ZAMFARA STATE

Abstract

Kidnapping, cattle rustling and banditry in Zamfara state pose serious security threat not only to the state but to the entire North West and Nigeria at large. The level at which bandits operate within the landscape of Zamfara State, northwest of Nigeria has led to the spread of kidnapping, maiming of people, loss of lives, displacements people, etc and these have equally brought about an atmosphere of uncertainty, a situation that has become worrisome to the government and the society at large. The main objective of the study is to examine insecurity and small and medium enterprises performance in Zamfara state Nigeria. The study adopts a Survey Research Design through the use of primary data. The population of the study was 1,236, with a sample size of 302. Simple random sampling technique was employed. Multi regression technique was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that insecurity of kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling had negative effects on sales volume, efficiency and profitability of SMEs owners in Zamfara State. The study concluded that Kidnapping, banditry, and cattle rustling had significant negative effects on the sales volume, efficiency, and profitability of small and medium enterprises in Zamfara State. It was recommended that collaborations between law enforcement, SMEs, and local communities will help to raise knowledge and alertness regarding security. Fostering tighter cooperation between security authorities and SME associations may exchange information, plan responses, and work together to solve security issues.