Security Breaches: Continuing Relevance of Law and Poverty Theory in Nigeria

Abstract

A Matter for serious thought is the complexity of the challenges threatening Nigeria with respect to security. Citizens live in apprehension and intimidation from “ vampiric” groups of the society as there is virtually, no day passed-by without recurrent news reportages of security breaches, in nearly all parts of the country, and almost always resulting in bloodshed. It is against this background that this paper, which is largely a doctrinal research, aims at probing into what is amiss with the nation. It is found, among others, that widespread poverty is the major challenge impinging on Nigeria’s collective national security. The paper promotes the need to think of security in the broader sense, particularly as efforts to secure the necessities of life, for more often than not, economic problems have roots in poverty but are hidden under ethno-religious and other assorted canopies. Therefore, the paper also calls for diversification of “ security votes” to poverty alleviation because poverty exacerbates all sorts of problems. This somewhat expansive theory of security is important for realization of physical and national security. Considering our endowments, experiences, and the role played in international peacekeeping operations, the paper postulates that we are capable of surmounting our challenges if, and only when, we are resolute.