Nigeria’s Multi-Agency Security Sector: The Paradox of a House Divided Against National Security

Abstract

The Nigerian state operates a multi-track security system in order to checkmate internal security threats and repel external aggression. The expected symbiotic inter-agency relationships among security agencies -military, law enforcement and intelligence- has been implied in the composition of the National Security Council as contained in Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution Section (25) (a-i). However, officers and men of different security organisations have been locked up in multidimensional inter-agency rivalry and bloody clashes. In view of the perennial occurrence of low-intensity violent conflicts since the nation returned to the democratic rule in 1999, the sustained disunity among security agencies constitute a grievous threat to national security. This is because in order to effectively confront the complexities of low intensity violent conflicts and to checkmate their reoccurrence there must be integrated tactical engagements and joint operations by the: Police/Military, Police/Civil Defence Corps, and Military/Civil Defence Corps. This study used exploratory research
methodology to answer these questions: (i) what is the historical antecedents of security organisations in Nigeria? (ii) What are the causes, patterns and dynamics of disunity among security agencies? (iii) What are implications of disunity among security agencies on national security? The study found out that Police/Army bloody clashes are prominent; this is followed by Police/Civil Defence rivalry, which emanated from overlapping roles of the two organisations. Based on this, the paper submits that disunity among security agencies is needles if they see their mandates as mutually inclusive.