THE IMPACT OF INSECURITY ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

This study is aimed at examining the scourge of terrorism, insurgency, armed militancy and banditry in Nigeria. Several armed groups are operating in Nigeria today, amongst which are Boko Haram, regarded as one of the deadliest terrorist and insurgency groups in the world, pitching their tent in the Northeast, armed Militancy in the Niger Delta perpetrated by militia groups including Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the emerging threat of banditry in the Northwest. These have given rise to the security challenges besieging Nigeria today and have continued to dominate Nigeria’s socio-political discourse. The study made use of secondary data including document analysis as its research methodology. Document analysis was used in describing the scourge of terrorism, insurgency, armed militancy and banditry in Nigeria. The study adopted the frustration-aggression theory as its theoretical framework, additional theories of Poverty theory and theory of relative deprivation were also studied about the study. Findings from the study reveal that terrorism, insurgency, armed militancy and banditry are caused by several factors including poverty, unemployment, weak political structures, border porosity, proliferation of small and light weapons, ethno-religious intolerance, etc. The impact of these armed insurgencies and banditry has resulted in loss of lives and properties, displacements, loss of livelihoods, destruction of critical infrastructure, fear, and economic destabilization, amongst others. This study therefore recommends that these root causes be decisively addressed through the provision of gainful employment, securing Nigeria’s borders, strengthening of relevant institutions including the security agencies, infrastructural development in the rural areas, enshrining the principles of fairness, justice, social equality and accountability, amongst others, this would impact positively in curbing Nigeria’s security challenges