Porous Border, Terrorism and National Security in Nigeria: An Appraisal

Abstract

This paper has examined the issues of porous border, terrorism and national security in Nigeria. Terrorism, no doubt remains a threat to the safety of all Nigerians and even her visitors are not spared from the sledge of terrorist onslaughts. While internal factors such as poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, corruption, religious fundamentalism, political manipulations and others have been critically identified to be responsible for the menace of terrorism, the poorly manned borders of Nigeria have also contributed in no small mean to the dynamics of national insecurity occasioned by terrorism. The paper relied majorly on secondary data in addition to the observations of the authors. The rational choice theory provided the framework of analysis. Findings revealed that the infiltrations of unregistered men and weapons including money into the county have aided the threats posed by terrorism to Nigerian national security. This has been exacerbated by the nature of Nigeria's foreign policy objectives and agreements. As a plural state with history that predates British conquests, Nigeria has to live with the reality that she exists beyond her borders. It is recommended that Nigeria should collaborate with her neighbors and adopt technologies in manning her borders and fighting terrorism if her security as a country is to be guaranteed.