Review of History and Political Science

Nigeria’s Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: Implications, Issues, and Lessons for National Security
Ibiang Oden Ewa, Ph.D.

Abstract
Nigeria is presently preoccupied with multi-polar insurgency, with antecedents dating back to the 1960s and 1980s. In the wake of the insurgency, the federal government initiated a counterinsurgency operation, involving all the national security agencies. This naturally brought insurgency, counterinsurgency, and national security in an interface. Disagreeing with the human needs centred view on national security and drawing from studies by other scholars, this paper uses the state-centric perspective on national security to examine the interaction between insurgency, counterinsurgency, and national security. It points out the issues and lessons emanating from the interaction and their implications for national security. The paper further argues, that the provision of human needs should not be the central issue in national security, stressing that the use of the military and other security agencies in achieving the safekeeping of the nation should be the focus of Nigeria’s national security strategy.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/rhps.v6n1a3