"NO SAFE ZONE:"AN EXPLORATION INTO THE MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OF SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA, 1999-2022

Abstract

Nigeria is currently battling generalized insecurity. With hardly any of its six geo-political zones spared from one form of insecurity or the other, Africa’s most populous country and erstwhile bulwark of stability in West Africa is now practically under the gun on all fronts. There is growing insecurity in Nigeria, despite the best efforts of the gallant members of the country’s security forces and increased budgetary provisions. The cumulative effect of the generalized insecurity is that the fear among Nigerians is palpable as nowhere seems immune. This is especially so in rural areas which bear a heavier brunt, given the somewhat regular rate those areas are besieged. The debilitating security challenges are already also taking a toll on economic activities, particularly with regard to commerce and agriculture. The adverse effect is also felt in the education sector in many parts of the country. This is in addition to the humanitarian crisis occasioned by mass displacements in states burdened by security challenges. The unending sit-at-home order enforced by members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), is negatively affecting trade in an area noted for its vibrant commercial activities. Further crackdown on such lawful business activities have drastically reduced individual and government revenue, thus fueling poverty and its attendant consequences, especially in the worst affected states of Anambra and Imo. The continued debasement of state legitimacy will embolden criminals and ultimately lead to the creation of a state within a state. In the North-West and North-Central, the sacking of hundreds of farming communities continues to exacerbate the looming spectre of hunger and starvation. The rapid spread of ISWAP cells, if untamed, could give the Islamic state an opportunity to turn Nigeria into the new Syria. The North Central, South West, and South South are equally burdened by growing insecurity in different forms. To arrive at such an understanding, the paper examines the major forms of insecurity in the six geo-political zones of the country, sketching their histories and dimensions, and mapping how they imperil life and property, magnify fault-lines, and hinder economic growth and national development. This paper explored the drivers and triggers of insecurity in the country. Secondary data is employed using descriptive and analytical lenses which identified eleven factors which provide the environment for insecurity.