Border Threats and Insecurity in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria is both the most populous and the richest country and this incontrovertibly makes her a point of destination for citizens of neighbouring countries. Worrisomely, the movements of the migrants into Nigeria are without proper documentation, as many of them explore illegal routes into the country, thus, escaping routine immigrants’ checks at the border posts by officials of the institutions in charge of border management in Nigeria. This study provided background information on the border porosity and human security in Ibarapa Community of Oyo State Nigeria. It explicated the thread of border porosity, light arms proliferation and human security along Ibarapa Community of Oyo State, Nigeria and investigated the challenges of border porosity and human security in the study area. Investigating the consequences of these challenges became significant because border porosity are still very susceptible to numerous arms proliferations emanating from poor mismanagement of the borders by the states bordering Nigeria and Nigeria herself. The influx of unchecked and undocumented migrants has continued to pose unsalutary effects on Nigeria’s national security as many foreigners were fingered as mercenaries in the recent Fulani herders and farmers conflicts in some part of Ibarapa Community in Oyo State Nigeria. Also, it is interesting to know that some members of Fulani herders while having their houses on one side of the community across the Ibarapa communities, they simultaneously have their farmlands on the other side of the thick bushes across the communities, which makes their daily activities sometimes illegal. Therefore, guarding a country's borders is an extremely important job that must be given top priority in order to ensure the safety of the state and its citizens.