SECURITY SECTOR REFORMS AND SECURITY IN NORTH EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the implications of security sector reforms on security in Northeastern Nigeria. The role reforms necessitated the investigation play in improving national and individual security. Data for this study was generated from secondary sources. Due to its broad perspective, the study applied the structural functionalism theory to provide insight into the security sector and its contribution to the Nigerian state's overall functions. The paper discovered that the prevalence of poverty, underdevelopment, and insecurity in the North East has worsened due to a lack of effective reform measures, which affected the performance of the security architecture. The paper concludes that there is a need to reform the security sector to ensure the security of lives and properties and protect human rights. Consequently, in order to address the deficiencies inherent in the security sector, the paper recommends that the government within the region should establish a comprehensive reform agenda to address security challenges, involvement civil society groups in reform efforts, and, above all, develop the required political will to fight terrorism. If these strategies are adhered to, it leads to a systematic process of tackling the security issues within the region and the entire country.