Abstract Background: The North Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria, comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau states together with the Federal Capital Territory, has experienced a sharp escalation of armed banditry since approximately 2017, compounding decades of farmer-herder tension and communal violence. Objective: This study examines the measurable socioeconomic consequences of banditry in the North Central zone, with particular attention to agricultural output, internal displacement, education, healthcare, trade, and investment. Method: The research adopts a systematic review design drawing on peer-reviewed literature published between 2021 and 2025, supplemented by institutional data from the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and official Nigerian government statistical releases. Results: Armed conflict data confirm 1,491 fatalities and approximately 512,000 internally displaced persons in North Central states in 2023 alone, rising to a combined North Central and North West IDP population of 1,302,443 by April 2024 (IOM, 2024b). Farm household incomes declined by 30 to 40 percent relative to pre-insecurity baselines (Ibrahim et al., 2024). Over 600,000 children were out of school by 2024 (UNICEF, 2024). Armed groups collected levies of NGN 139.5 million from producers and traders between 2020 and 2023 (ACAPS, 2025). Conclusion: Banditry has produced cascading socioeconomic losses across all measurable development indicators in the North Central zone. Recovery requires coordinated security reform, targeted livelihood restoration, and structural governance intervention in affected local government areas. Keywords: banditry; North Central Nigeria; socioeconomic development; internal displacement; food security; farmer-herder conflict; armed violence; Middle Belt