THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE POLITICISATION OF INTERNAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria, a microcosm of the African continent is a very complex country. With over 250 ethnic nationalities and several religious sects who strive to always work in outdoing each other in the polity, the country is a breeding ground for security breaches. As a result of this no love lost syndrome among the various groups, internal security issues are usually hijacked for political expediencies; thereby making it difficult and cumbersome to solving these internal security issues in the country. This paper intends to analyse the implications of the politicization of internal security in Nigeria, with the country at the brink of being overrun. It was discovered that lack of political will on the part of the country’s leaders are responsible for the persistence of these crisis, especially terrorism from the second decade of this 21st century. Rather, political leaders in a bid to champion certain parochial interests, creates an avenue for the escalation of insecurity in the polity. The paper makes use of qualitative research methodology and consulted books, journal 
articles, newspaper publications, internet materials, etc in the course of the research. The paper concludes by recommending that until the government, religious leaders, and politicians desist from misinterpreting internal security issues to suit their whims, the country will continue to boil and degenerate further into anarchy. Government should be decisive in tackling and nipping in the bud, skirmishes of insecurity before they escalate and become subject of national debate