Saheed Babajide Owonikoko and Ikenna Mike Alumona
Security has taken centre stage in Nigeria's political discourse, as in most developing countries. Across the different geopolitical zones in the country, different factors of insecurity have continued to take a heavy toll on lives and properties. Yet, the challenge of maintaining security in the country is compounded by the nature and character of Nigeria’s federal governance structure, which vests the sole constitutional responsibility for security maintenance in the federal government, leaving the component units with no formal control over the security forces. This paper examines how lopsided security responsibilities and powers of federal and component units contribute to widespread insecurity in contemporary Nigerian society. Using both primary and secondary data, this paper argues that the contradictions of Nigeria’s federal governance are not only undermining the maintenance of security but also contributing to the exacerbation of insecurity in Nigeria as a result of the use of extra-legal means by the component units to ensure the security and safety of lives and properties. Given the ongoing reforms in Nigeria, the study recommends security sector reform that ensures the constitutional entrenchment of local security mechanisms for the component units—States and Local Governments—to enhance effective security governance.
