Ungoverned Spaces and Human Security Challenges: A Re-emerging Threat on Nigeria’s National Security

Abstract

Nigeria’s current security challenges have escalated, threatening the country’s stability and
prosperity. Issues such as banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, insurgency, and violent resourcebased conflicts have not only jeopardized lives and property but have also undermined
socioeconomic wellbeing. This paper explores how ungoverned spaces lacking effective
governmental oversight and security presence serve as breeding grounds for various forms of
violence perpetrated by terrorists, insurgents, militant herders, and other criminal groups.
Drawing from empirical data, the study examined ungoverned spaces as contested regions
within Nigeria and the Sahel, analyzing their function as havens where violent actors
establish operational strongholds. These spaces are seen as either entirely unregulated by state
authorities or controlled by alternative, non-state actors, creating significant national security
concerns. Using the Predatory Theory of Government, the paper argues that governmental
neglect or failure in asserting territorial control in Southwest Nigeria has allowed bandit
groups to flourish, compromising human security and intensifying fear within communities.
The study highlights how this dynamic is further exacerbated by porous borders, ineffective
anti-grazing laws, and limited technological security measures. While previous literature has
connected ungoverned spaces with general insecurity, this paper uniquely focuses on
ideological motivations behind the control of such spaces, as seen in Boko Haram’s
radicalism. Recommendations include strengthening state capacity through modern
surveillance, equipping security forces, and enhancing inter-regional cooperation to
effectively mitigate ungoverned spaces and reclaim security in Nigeria.