CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Insecurity is a current major concern of the world. The kidnapping, bomb lasts, drug, arsenal, bomb factories and illegal trafficking of children and women are all sources of concern in the world.1 The concept of insecurity was initially developed mostly after World War II in the United States, focusing on the military strength, however, it now encompasses several facets, all of which encroach on the non-military or economic security of the country and the values adopted by the national society.2 In order to attain national security, a nation needs to possess energy security, environmental security, economic security, etc. Security threats involve not only conventional foes but also non-states actors such as violent non-states actors, multi-national corporations and non-governmental organizations. Some authorities include natural disasters and events causing severe environmental damage to the society. Insecurity is a paramount issue to any government. It is indeed a major responsibility of government to safeguard her citizens. Any government that pays lip service to issues of insecurity does so at risk of the entire nation.3

Since attaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has had its own fair share of security challenges and this often affect the socio-political and economic activities to the extent that security issues have remained a fundamental problem to successive governments and the generality of the people. Some of the sources of security challenges in Nigeria have been identified to include: socio-economic agitations, ethno-religious crises, ethnic militias, political and electioneering conflicts, cultism, and criminality, boundary disputes, just to mention but a few. The emergence of the Nigerian militant islamist group, Boko Haram, has been a cause for significant concern.4 Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgents have been responsible for many brutal attacks, targeting strategic and key public officials and institutions, religious centres and, increasingly, ordinary women, men, and children, causing havoc across parts of Northern Nigeria. The Boko Haram activities, therefore, constitute a serious threat to the stability, security, peace, and development of the country. Often ignored in the discourse on security challenges is the multi-dimensional approach to the concept, which seems to have taken a much broader approach or perspective in the 21st century. In other words, insecurity is no longer viewed completely from the military or state – centric perspective as was the case previously. We may, therefore, be losing the point if in our discourse on this subject matter, we erroneously assume that once security is beefed up or tightened by security forces, then the security of a nation is guaranteed. That appears far from the truth5.

One of the fundamental human rights of the people in any given state is the right to security and this is why it is always provided for in the constitution of most sovereign states. Nigeria is not an exception; thus section 14(2)(b) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution states clearly that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government” although the problem of insecurity is not new in Nigeria, however, since the return of democracy in 1999, hardly a day goes by without a report of one security challenge or the other6. Unfortunately, ordinary citizens and the nation’s economic resources are at the receiving end. The series of bombings and killings in the North, kidnapping and armed robbery attack in the South, political and economic crisis have all combined to hurt the peace of the nation with negative impact on tourism development7.

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