Insecurity in Nigeria: A threat to

National Development .
It is a great privilege to stand before the undergraduates
and students of law of Olabisi Onabanjo University
particularly members of the Inner Temple.
The Commissioner of Police Western Port Adaji Adejo
Gabriel Psc sends his best regards on whose consent I am
present at this August occasion.
There are plethora of academic works from scholars,
editorials and writers on this subject, but I will differ
symmetrically in the sense that it will be spoken of from
the perspective of the Police and a law enforcement
officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is not an
unfettered truth that many publication of the above
subject lack merit and there are porous negativity
attached therein.
Security is defined as the state of being protected or safe
from harm; it also means things done to make people or
places safe. Although, security may have an ambiguous
meaning but I believe this in particular relates to freedom
of movement and safety of lives and property. Properties
and lives just do not on their own get secured there are
apparatus charged ensuring such task and these are the
concept of the State which is that the State is responsible
for every of its citizenry to ensure that all persons sleeps
with eyes closed and property well secured. The central
pillar of Nigeria as a State is national security which is
1
safeguarding of the sovereign, the independence of the
territorial integrity of the State.
The state has further made the discharge of this
responsibility easy by creating an Organ or Agency called
the Nigeria Police Force. Sec 215 of the 1999
Constitution1 Created the Nigeria Police among others to
stay wholly active and alert for the internal security of the
State. Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution which
states that the security and welfare of the people shall
be the primary purpose of government; and the
participation by the people in their government shall be
ensured in accordance with the provisions of this
Constitution. Sec 4 of the Police Act went ahead to
strengthen the authority of the Police to be the custodian 2
of every person living there, the police is empowered by
that section for the Protection of lives and Property as
provided by Section 215 which empowers the Inspector
General of Police for this duty.
The Nigeria police is the principal law enforcement
agency in Nigeria with a strength of about (400,000) four
hundred thousand officers with plans to increase that
number. The presence of the Police can be felt in the 36
states of the Federation headquartered in Abuja and
divided into 12 Zones and 7administraive organs
1Sec 215 1999 Constitution there shall be an Inspector General of Police who
subject to section 216(2) of this constitution shall be appointed by the President on
the advice of the Nigeria Police Council among serving members of the Nigeria
Police Force.

2 The Police Act Nig.

2
currently headed by Inspector General of Police Ibrahim
Kpotun Idris mni.

Police Officer Equipment, Accessories and Devices Used

in the Line of Duty

Police officers are everyday heroes who sacrifice their

lives on a daily basis in a collective effort to ensure serve
and protect citizens. A career in law enforcement is not
easy, and police work is filled with rigorous physical and
emotional demands. Preparation and training is top
priority for a police officer and the right equipment is
critical. Officers in police departments throughout Nigeria
must be fitted with standard equipment to help protect
themselves and citizens against any and all encounters
they may encounter.
Pistol or Firearm Law enforcement officials face many
potentially dangerous situations on any given day.
Although they are rarely used, the pistol or firearm is an
essential element of the police outfit. I subscribe to this
for at least personal security of the police officer an
attempt to protect himself before members of the public.
Handgun Holster The handgun holster is designed to
carry a firearm in a convenient place. The holster is most
often attached to a utility belt, but may also be attached
around the upper torso or even the leg. Holsters can be
made of leather, nylon or plastic.

3
Radio Radios are used by most departments to facilitate
communication with dispatch and other officers. The
radios are usually attached to the utility belt ,police
vehicles and are often held with a radio pouch. However,
some departments attach the radio to the shoulder area
to make it easier for the officer to use. This is a must do
without for patrol team and men in operation department
of the Nigeria Police.
Shotgun Almost every police car is equipped with a
standard shotgun, which is used during dangerous
encounters with armed criminals.Most officers carry
additional ammunition on their equipment belt. Police
officers have the option to carry a shotgun that shoots
bean bags, a non-deadly weapon that is typically used in
riot or crowd control situations.
Handcuffs -Police handcuffs are probably the most used
item in their equipment arsenal. Handcuffs are highly
effective to keep the suspect under control and prevent
them from causing harm to their person, or those around
them. Most officer carry around 2-3 pairs so that they can
capture and detain more than one perpetrator.
Bulletproof vest: a majority of police officers prefer to use
a soft bulletproof vest as part of their equipment as they
are less noticeable. This armored vest can protect an
officer against attacks with weapons such as knives,
pistols, rifles, small explosives and the like.
TASER Gun: a fairly new addition to the list of police
equipment, taser guns work more effectively when

4
neutralizing a suspect without causing excessive physical
harm. On average, taser guns can travel about 15 feet to
latch on to the suspect through layers of clothing and
inflict over 50,000 volts of electric current. Enough to
leave the suspect temporarily incapacitated allowing the
officer opportunity to make the arrest.
Baton: One of the oldest items of police equipment, the
baton is generally used to disperse and control crowds of
people on the cusp of riot. Batons also come in handy in
protection against unarmed, through aggressive people.
In addition, batons are often used to break down windows
and doors to free or rescue trapped victims in dangerous
situations.
Flashlight: While it is not a mandate, most officers
choose to carry a flashlight with them at all times. Some
officers opt for large, heavy models that work well as self-
defense tool.
Body Cameras:Although they are not part of the standard
police uniform, allegations of impropriety and other
counter allegations sometimes which are false against
the NPF this body wears or attachment of device on the
body can better capture real life events for documentary
of any unruly police officer, this will also decrease the
awful complaints by members of the public against
policemen.
Standard equipment may vary from department to
department based on specific needs, but these items
cover the basics.

5
Drones: Although I am not yet certain if the Drone
technology has been welcomed into the NPF, they can be
used to track suspects, search for missing persons,
survey a damaged area and much more. From the
forgoing you will agree with me the NPF is gingering and
we shall get there.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Insecurity is the state of being open to danger or threat,

lack of protection. From the ongoing insecurity is a state
of panic, fear, anxiety and hostile environment which
eliminates the splendor of happy living.
While examining the statement of the problem it is
apposite to state, that Nigeria Police is not overwhelmed
neither over powered by these problems, but working
assiduously to ensure the greater safety of the greatest
maximum. The citizens often point fingers and are quick
to hate the Police for lack of efficiency, but the bigger
snag is from the citizens themselves who habour and fail
to report criminals to the police. Studies have revealed
that criminals are everyday people with ambition in life,
but the task remains that activities of this bandits must
be reported and the reporting system is all the Police will
rely on to spring into action to fish out criminals.
Some of the dangers posing threat to our daily life are
Kidnapping, Armed robbery, Ritual Killing, political
agitations ,bombing and insurgency, terrorism to mention
a few.

6
 Kidnapping: kidnapping is the abduction and
restraint by force or unlawful transportation of a
person usually in order to hold them captive against
their will. This may be done with a demand for
ransom in exchange for releasing them from
concealment, or for other illegal purposes.
Kidnapping can be accompanied by bodily injury
which elevates the crime to aggravated kidnapping 3
investigation has revealed that the recent kidnapping
mostly are perfected along Nigeria`s coastal States.
It is sardonic to state that there is the absence of
constant patrol on our waterways, by the Marine
Police or Naval police around the waterways,
because the kidnappers mainly use the waterways to
escape with their victims. The reality is that there are
expertise but the speed boats are not available for
the patrol and where there are available it is either
obsolete or rendered in disrepair due to non-
maintenance.
There have been cases of high profile kidnaps, this goes
to show it is not only a menace to the opulent but the
down trodden are in the mess. Nigeria police is not
incapacitated because there are equipment such as the
Trackers that uses Global Positioning System 4 but the
3 Cornell University Law School. Cambridge English Dictionary. English Oxford
Living Dictionaries. Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

4 The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS,[a][b] is a space-

based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and
operated by the United States Air Force. It is a global navigation satellite system
that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or

7
Police will definitely continue to improve, the punishment
5
for kidnapping is death sentence which does not have a
uniform enactment across Nigeria.
Most times poverty has been attributed to reasons why
crime is on the increase but to the criminologist there are
other people who are morally upright despite their
poverty.

Armed Robbery: until the cashless policy that

notoriously took over the Country, robbery was
prevalent in the country that during the military era
the punishment for robbery was death 6 by firing

near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS
satellites.[3]

5 The Criminal Code Act, CAP C38, LFN 2004, also provides a penalty for kidnapping. The law
provides in Section 364 that Any person who
1. Unlawfully imprisons any person, and takes him out of Nigeria without his consent; or
2. Unlawfully imprisons any person within Nigeria in such a manner as to prevent him from
applying to a court for his release or from discovering to any other person the place where
he is imprisoned, or in such a manner as to prevent any person entitled to have access to
him from discovering the place where he is imprisoned,
Is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for ten years.

6ROBBERY AND FIREAMS ACT Sec 1 Any person who commits the offence of robbery shall
upon trial and conviction under this Act, be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than 21
years.
(2) If-

(a) any offender mentioned in subsection (1) of this section is armed with any firearms or
any offensive weapon or is in company with any person so armed; or

(b) at or immediately before or immediately after the time of the robbery the said offender
wounds or uses any personal violence to any person, he offender shall be liable upon
conviction under this Act to be sentenced to death.

(3) The sentence of death imposed under this section may be executed by hanging the
offender by the neck till he be dead or by causing such offender to suffer death by firing
squad as the Governor may direct.

8
 squad. The robbery has become sophisticated that
robbers now use grenade launchers and improvised
bomb to blast open the security doors of Bank so as
to gain access into the premises to cart away money
well arranged in the vaults. It is on emphasis that
such operations are information based.
This type of sudden attacks unleashed against the Bank is
very traumatic because often than not lives are lost. The
Bank takes for granted the importance of security. Take a
visit to commercial houses today x-ray their measures of
security you will wholly agree with me that Policemen are
placed as security to this Banks. This form of measure is a
suicide mission kind of security, the reason is that an
armed robber who has decided to be so courageous to
rob a bank on broad day light has sworn to die damming
the consequences, but that hardened heart does not
apply with the Police. The Bank has to do more than just
the physical presence of Police men, Circuit Cameras that
must be controlled by the policemen must be mounted at
least 20 kilometer distance away from the Bank in such a
way that closed monitoring can be done, despite having
the huge money of customers the CBN has to
immediately liaise with the inspector General of Police to
explore improved security system, also it will be recalled
that the Banks do not have emergency response unit that
can evacuate victims away from the scene of crime for
proper medical attention. Despite Banking being a private
venture you can easily under study the bureaucracy that
is also played, these goes to show that the ardent

9
problems claimed to lackluster attitude of public
workforce also affect the private sector as to how best to
bring lasting solutions to the incessant Bank robberies.

Terrorism and Political Agitations: this is where to

classify all the blood hungry demons who for no
grounded merit assuage political rights and religious
right. Nigeria is richly endowed with wealth but
livelihood has become hopeless where a greater
number of people survive under 0.5 dollar which is
less than N1507 a day. These groups of agitators feel
deprived of equal access to financial empowerment
and yet on the dailies it can be heard and read of
how the treasury is being looted by heartless
politicians who do not have an interest to service but
to only stomach infrastructure. These and much
more feeling of entitlement to National cake
heightens the insecurity in most States. The
Avengers8 in 2016 vandalised Oil Pipes by bombing
oil tank farms and connecting reservoirs until the
recent initiative by the presidency with a move by
the Vice President through their various traditional
7 "Nigerians living in poverty rise to nearly 61%". BBC. 13 February 2012. Retrieved
August 2014.

8 Anti Terrosim Prevention Act. Terrorism Offences and PunishmentAny person who belongs
to or professes to belong to a proscribed terrorist organisation commits an offence which is
punishable with a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty (20) years on conviction.
Any person who does, attempts to do, threatens to do, promotes, assist or facilitates
terrorism in any way or manner, or participates in terrorism financing, commits an offence
and is liable on conviction to life imprisonment or to a fine of not less than N150Million or to
both the term of imprisonment and the fine.
Where any act of terrorism results in death, the penalty on conviction of the terrorist
individual is life imprisonment or without prejudice to the latter, death. See Section 4(4) .

10
 rulers that waded into the matters with pleas to
cease fire and destroying major connecting Pipes, it
is our hopes that the presidency fulfills the promises
that has calmed the tensions.
The study of the Boko9 sects reveals that their deadly
formation has no comprehensible reason for their killings
and invasion of villages in Northern Nigeria. Western
Education is forbidden is what can be understood as the
meaning of their name. One can say if western education
has become prohibited it can be replaced with another
kind of education perhaps teaching in local languages
which will not be at par with the conventional system of
learning, if that is the whole trouble what is the need of
bearing firearms, ammunitions, armored tanks, grenades,
cutlass, and erecting a flag in conquered villages?
Mohammed Yusuf (29 January 1970 30 July 2009), also
known as Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, was a Nigerian Muslim
sect leader and founder of the militant Islamist group
Boko Haram in 2002. He was its spiritual leader until he
was killed in the 2009 Boko Haram uprising 10 the problem
is beyond the claim against western education, since
recently proclaiming ties with ISIS11. Many lives have

9 "Boko Haram Changes Name To 'West African Province' Of The Islamic State".
Daily Times of Nigeria. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015. "African Arguments
Editorial Boko Haram in Nigeria : another consequence of unequal development".
African Arguments. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2014.

10 Boko Haram: The Emerging Jihadist Threat in West Africa - Background, Anti-
Defamation League, December 12, 2011

11 Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

11
been lost while efforts has been made to wipe out the
sects since the deployments of Nigerian troops declared
war against the sect , their masters have been killed
repeatedly despite passing leadership to other members
by turn as the soldiers crush them daily. Relative
normalcy has retuned and every of the Boko flags have
been taken out. Reasoning further into the terror these
sects unleashed on innocent people is summarized as
Political titan clash that placed untold hardship on the
entire country.

Fulani Herdsmen: Fulani herdsmen or Fulani

pastoralists are nomadic or semi nomadic Fulani
herders whose primary occupation is raising
livestock12 The pure Fulani pastoralist engages in
random movement of cattle while the semi-nomadic
makes transhumance migration and return to their
camps or homes . A primary reason for the migratory
nature of the herdsmen is to reach areas with
abundant grass and water for the cattle. The
herdsmen also move to avoid tax collectors, harmful
insects and hostile weather and social environment.
A major benefit of the movement for the herdsmen is
to maximize the available food resources for the
cattle and reduce excessive grazing13.Before moving

12 Iro, Ismail (1994). From nomadism to sedentarism : an analysis of development

constraints and public policy issues in the socioeconomic transformation of the
pastoral Fulani of Nigeria (Thesis). Howard university.994), pp. 22

13 Chris Caldicott (1996-11-02). "Take me to the river - Travel". The Independent.

Retrieved 2014-02-27.

12
 to new areas; the herdsmen send a reconnaissance
team to study the area for availability of resources
such as grass and water. Fulani pastoralists started
migrating into Northern Nigeria from the Senegambia
region around the thirteenth or fourteenth century 14.
After the Uthman dan Fodio jihad, the Fulani became
integrated into the Hausa culture of Northern Nigeria.
Thereafter, during the dry season when tsetse fly
population is reduced, Fulani pastoralists began to
drive their cattle into the middle belt zone dominated
by non-Hausa groups returning to the north at the
onset of the rainy season. But while managing the
herd and driving cattle, cattle grazing on farmlands
sometimes occur leading to destruction of crops and
becoming a source of conflict. Nigeria's
implementation of the land use act of 197815 allowed
the state or federal government the right to assign
and lease land and also gave indigenes the right to
apply and be given a certificate of occupancy to
claim ownership of their ancestral lands. This placed
the pastoral Fulani in a difficult position because
most did not apply for lands of occupancy of their
grazing routes and recurring transhumance
movement will lead to encroachment of the

14 Tonah, Steve (2002). "Fulani Pastoralists, Indigenous Farmers and the Contest for
Land in Northern Ghana". Africa Spectrum. 37 (1).

15 Section 1 LUA Subject to the provisions of this Act, all land comprised in the
territory of each State in the Federation are hereby vested in the Governor of that
State and such land shall be held in trust and administered for the use and common
benefit of all Nigerians in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

13
 properties of others. The Nigeria government
designed some areas as grazing routes but this has
not reduced clashes.
From the foregoing the above represented the original
Nomad of primeval times as opposed to the present day
who now foment crises in the name of cattle rearing. The
Nigeria Senate must as a matter of urgency criminalize
herdsmen activities due to civilization and restrict cattle
rearing to only portions of owned farmland just like fish
farming.

CAUSES OF INSECURITY

Inequitable distribution of resources: Pervasive

material inequalities and unfairness and greater
awareness of disparities in life is a major root cause
of insecurity in Nigeria. Take a journey into our
national budget it is very disturbing to find that
monetary allocations is based on the land mass and
the development of that area. Kano State in Nigeria
is one of the states with huge allocations from
Federal government due to its larger Local
government areas. In the light of these sharing
formular, development will continue to be uneven.
Civilization is still far from Nigeria if the law makers
do not see the irregularities in these sharing
measures since the wake of democracy. The youth in
northern Nigeria should be able to compete favourbly
with the youths in w western Nigeria there should be
14
 no deprivation of any kind. This is a rooted general
perception of inequality and unfairness which has
resulted in grievance by a large number of people.
This perception stems from the perception of
marginalization by a section of the people,
government development policies and political
offices and this has become a primary source of
disaffection and resentment. A large number of the
Nigeria population is frustrated and have lost hope,
especially the youths, and have now emerged to
express their disillusion about the pervasive state of
inequality. For example the case in the Niger Delta
where the Avengers, Niger Delta Revolutionary
Crusaders have been blowing up installations thereby
reducing the exploration and production of oil to the
abysmal level. The activities of the avengers were
responsible for the epileptic power supply in the
country as well as the inability of state governors to
pay workers salaries due to the low revenue
generated in the oil sector as a result of the attack
on pipelines.

Porous Borders: One major immediate factor which

has enhanced insecurity in Nigeria is the porous
frontiers of the country, where individual movements
are largely untracked. The porosity of Nigerias
borders has serious security implications for the
country. At the arrival of the Seme border, it is in a
busy state, busy with all kinds of business
transactions, this suppose not to be so, it should be a

15
 controlled environment where Policemen and soldiers
can be easily sited. Given the porous borders, efforts
of surveillance by security operatives should be
intensified. It is not enough to pose with riffles but
every vehicle, movements, containers must be
examined. Weapons come easily into Nigeria from
other countries due to new shades of smuggling,
smugglers device new ways to beat unsuspecting
security operatives. Small Arms and Light Weapons
proliferation16 and the availability of these weapons
have enabled militant groups and criminal groups to
have easy access to arms. Nigeria is estimated to
host over 70 percent of about 8 million illegal
weapons in West Africa. Also, the porosity of the
Nigerian borders has made it possible for
unwarranted influx of migrants from neighbouring
countries such as Republic of Niger, Chad and
Republic of Benin. These migrants which are mostly

16 Senate worried over proliferation of small arms in NigeriaBy Yemi Itodo on February 28,
2017 The Nigerian Senate, on Tuesday, expressed great concern over the proliferation of
small arms and light weapons in Nigeria, calling for urgent measures to stem the trend.
In a motion moved by Senator Hope Uzodinma (Imo West), the Senate faulted the porous
nature of Nigerian border on the non proactive state of the security personnel, adding that,
it would signal grave security implications for the country.

Uzodinma narrated how the Nigerian Customs Service seized a truck load of sophisticated
riffles illegally imported into Nigeria from China, last month.

He said, further investigation revealed that, the said, 40ft container with 661 Pump Action
Riffles were cleared at the Lagos Port by some Custom Officers and had, in fact, left the Port
before it was intercepted at Mile 2 area of Lagos.

The Senator also revealed how, the Customs in Tin Can Island Command, intercepted a
cache of Arms, Ammunition and Military Gadgets, smuggled into the country from the United
States of America.

16
 young men are some of the perpetrators of crime in
the country.
Weak Judicial System: recently lawyers have become
a pain in the neck of security personnel. Lawyers are
quick to defend known criminals in the guise of
fundamental human rights, given there are the cases
of extra judicial killings that it is well investigated
and well sorted by the Nigeria police authority that
an excuse of accidental discharge will not cure the
excesses of a trigger hungry officer, this point is
different from where a police officer has
apprehended kidnappers, armed robbers and social
misfits on the scene of crime fully armed, the society
and the lawyers hangs on the premise of
fundamental human rights to secure the freedom of
bandits ,at the discouraging end to police officers,
even petition the office of inspector General of Police
to halt the prosecution of a notorious criminal, which
way Lawyers? These and many more attitudes of
lawyers instill confidence on the part of the criminals
to remain unrepentant. The allegation of corruption
has also been leveled against the persons of our lord
temporal17 this is a big slap on the faces of modern
justice18 system as is the last hope of the common
man.

17 It is also alleged that some legal practitioners in addition to their legitimate fees
demand other fees from their clients purportedly to influence the judge or judges
handling their cases. It is the activities of these wicked legal practitioners and
retired judges who can be rightly described as interlopers that have given the
Nigerian judiciary a negative image. Eradicating Corruption in Nigerian Judiciary By
Justice Isa Ayo Salami 4th Dec 2015.

17
SOLUTIONS TO INSECURITY: the average Nigerian is more
concerned about the stomach than his personal security.
Ask a Nigerian the name of his Divisional Police officer or
the phone number, in his location, often times they are
not in the know. The Police Station is not only a place for
lodging complaints, but a place to foster friendly
relationship with the Area Commander and his team. The
reason for this is to bring the people closer with police.
This is in line with the Inspector General of police mission
statement for community policing and a friendlier Police.
The purpose of meeting with the Area Commander opens
a channel of interaction between parties where
information can be exchanged or intelligence gathering
can be of immense use to track down criminals. Majority
of the populace are not in tune with the new face of the
Nigeria Police most writers still talk of bribery in this
advent of recording devices where extortion is almost
impossible. There are emergency telephones numbers to
call as the Police is a 24 hours agency in case of any
surprise attacks. The notion must change, despite the
prevailing looting of the treasury it is only the Nigeria
Police that does Specie Escort with armed policemen and
deliver the specie safely with a pathetic pay, this goes to
show that if the citizenry broker peace and encourage the
police, efficiency would be optimal. Human security is
ultimately more important than state security.

18 Seven judges were on October 7th 2016 arrested by the SSS following
allegations of corruption. Premium Times

18
 1. Investment on Personal Security: life is precious;
secure conversations and every money related
matters. Install firm doors at your homes do not go to
sleep without checking that the doors are fasten
securely, for car owners ensure the central doors are
pinned down to prevent unwarranted openings or
attract petty thieves. Never keep handbags or
anything of value on a car seat, driving with music so
loud impairs hearing, tune in to traffic radios because
incidents are updated real time, get applications that
can describe last known places via modern Android
devices, at all times envisage an attack and suspect
everyone around, endavour to have emergency
phone numbers of police stations near you, other
rescue teams like Lasema, it is very germane to your
own security.
2. Job Creation and Economic Growth: Unemployment
must be addressed, inflation must be addressed,
infrastructure must be put in place to create
conducive environment for businesses to strive.
Nigeria must keep her citizens gainfully engaged in
various economically viable activities. If
unemployment is reduced, violence will be reduced,
when the economy grows and infrastructure is put in
place for businesses to strive, violence is reduced
and peace is restored.
3. Judicial Reform: Nigerias judiciary is undeniably
weak. In many cases, it victimizes the poor and
acquits the rich. Nigeria needs to strengthen the
judiciary and make it a strong institution which is not

19
 controlled by the rich. The growing inequality and
injustice in the country can be reduced by a strong
and committed judiciary. Corrupt judges and lawyers
should be restricted from the justice system,
obsolete laws should be reviewed, treaties ratified by
Nigeria that protects human rights should be
domesticated and coherent judicial policies should be
made.
4. Educational Reform: The Nigerian education system
has descended from the sky of excellence. Violence
among other social issues confronting Nigeria reflects
in the crumbling education system. Education is
pertinent to development, it is the bedrock of
progress, and no nation can develop beyond its level
of education. Nigeria needs to make educational
reforms in curriculum; the curriculum must
accommodate thematic topics such as history,
Nigeria languages and cultures, peace and
development, peace and economic growth, religious
understanding and race relation. These topics must
also be made practical in relation to the Nigerian
society. Today in many Nigeria schools, history,
culture e.t.c are not offered as subjects. Since some
are ignorant or under-educated, they become
vulnerable to sentiments that can trigger violence.
Beyond use of military or police force in ending violence,
Nigeria must implement sustainable solutions as listed
above. Nigeria needs to give a different approach to
ending violence, military is good, however, with well

20
educated population, strong judiciary and glowing
economy, violence will be minimized.
5. RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT: Nigerian leaders as a
spite of urgency must channel public funds to
acquiring the needed equipment to fight the threats
its citizenry face daily and resist corruption. The
budget meant for security nationwide must be
greater than wardrobe allowance of senators; if not
security operatives cannot confront criminals with
their bare hands. The problem of unemployment
should be addressed; an idle mind will find
something to occupy it. The youths of this country
have a very bleak future if Godfatherism syndrome
continues, a situation where there are no more jobs
for graduates to do, available jobs are far reaching,
except internet scamming and online Ponzi Scheme
to the rescue. The Government has to be sincere to
its oath of office because the majority of the
populace live in abject poverty. Economic 19 security
of the individual is or should be of far greater
concern to the government and society than the
security of the state. There has been a shift from
insecurity to social security of the people which
comprises of economic empowerment; if this is
available the youths will not result to cultism, armed
robbery or violent crimes to access financial
empowerment because the motive is mostly

19 Okorie, I. (2011), Insecurity Consequences for Investment and Employment,

The PUNCH, Thursday, September 9, pp37-38. Ode, I. O. (2003)

21
 pecuniary gains without recourse to its
consequences. Once the insecurity of hopeless and
failure of Government can be resuscitated the
various agitations, inequalities and terrorism would
be a thing of the past. Nigeria must give its citizens a
sense of belonging, by providing lasting solutions to
socio economic insecurity unless this is done
insecurity will continue to eat deep into Nigeria.
Threat to National Development:

National Development as it concern Nigeria refers to the

ability of a nation to improve the lives of its citizens.
Measures of improvement may be material, such as an
increase in the gross domestic product, or social, such as
literacy rates and availability of healthcare. Federal
governments draw up national development plans and
policies based on the perceived needs of their citizens.
Many include an emphasis on reducing poverty,
affordable and available housing and community
development.
The goal of all national development is to improve the
lives of the citizens in question within the context of a
growing economy and an emphasis on the good of the
community as a whole.

Loss of Lives and Properties: insecurity of any

country will forbid foreign investors, and breed
Violence of various types, en example was during the
heat of insurgency a handful of foreign companies
relocated to other neighbouring west African
22
 countries, this had a tantamount effect as Nigerians
were relieved of their appointments in those
companies and this was akin to loss of revenues as
tax and vats will not on the long run be remitted to
the federal government and personal aids to
individuals would be loss.in the North east there are
so many internally displaced people and the
government has pumped a lot of money into settling
the families of the aftermath,
Socio-Economic Stagnation: interview most of the
graduates they are frustrated due to no economic
muscles. Several of the youths have become
composers of music as a means of giving themselves
a better life, yet the government has not recognized
that the youths will become leaders of tomorrow, but
on what foundation will the youths take off? Socially
there are no jobs and a waste of the effort from
attaining good grades from universities since no
available ground to render their skills. The
international communities are well abreast of this
present state , there are no economic diversification
to other stream of income into Nigeria, hence
rendering large proportion of poverty
Social Tension: Violence breeds tension in the
society. For example, if an Igbo man is killed in
northern Nigeria by an Hausa man, it creates
immediate tension, not only for Igbos in northern
Nigeria but also Hausas in Eastern Nigeria due to
reprisal attack. Often, state of emergency/curfew is
declared in violent ridden areas of the nation while

23
 the government is working to restore peace. Every
person in Nigeria as a reconciliation process must
embrace every tribe, culture, religion with peace and
harmony; this is the best bets towards a peaceful co-
existence.
Conclusion: policing and security consciousness must be
adopted as a curriculum from primary to tertiary
institutions and it should be taught by police officers.
Except the present day government invest more energy
into growing the economy by empowering every Nigerian
financially, crime rate would remain on the rise and
insecurity would remain a constant debate.

ASP OMOLOLA ODUTOLA TAWAKALITU

17th MAY 2017 LECTURE NOTE ON INSECURITY IN
NIGERIA A THREAT TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

Vision Statement
To make Nigeria safer and more secure for economic
development and growth; to create a safe and secure
environment for everyone living in Nigeria.

24
25
26