Traditional Institution and Its Role in Curbing Insecurity in Nigeria: Issues and Prospects

Abstract

This article examines the role of traditional institution in curbing insecurity in Nigeria. Insecurity is one of greatest challenges confronting the country today. Before the advent of colonialism, there were traditional institutions that took care of security issues within their domain. Even after independence, the traditional institutions were also recognised in the governance of local levels.

However, the role and powers of traditional rulers were virtually expunged in the 1999 Constitution as amended, an indication of the declining status of the traditional institutions in the governance of the country. Within the framework of historical orientation approach and secondary sources of data using content analysis, this paper seeks to examine the roles of traditional rulers in tackling insecurity in Nigeria. It was discovered that though, the powers of the traditional rulers have changed constitutionally, in practice they still have a high level of influence on the people.

However, the powers to enforce sanctions have been eroded. This paper concludes that, despite the fact that the traditional rulers do not have formal political power, they are still highly respected in their communities across the states with considerable economic and political influence in the country. It therefore, recommends among others that, in order to effectively tackle the rising insecurity in Nigeria, the government shouldn’t rely solely on security agencies, since the traditional rulers still wed a positive influence on the people. Some level of constitutional power should be accorded to the traditional institution to enable it handle security issues in their localities.