A Reflection On The Effectiveness Of Informal Security Apparatus To Control State Failure In Nigeria

The heightening increase of violent crimes and the seeming inability of the formal security apparatus to manage and control the security challenges in Nigeria has drifted the country to a near-failed state. This situation called for concerted effort and the dire need for the adoption of informal control mechanisms to complement the deficiencies of the formal ones. This paper examines a reflection on the effectiveness of the informal security apparatus to control state failure in Nigeria. The paper employs the qualitative method of data collection and adopted Karl Marx's class discrimination theory (1863) as its theoretical framework. Sixteen (16) Key Informants Interviews (KIIs) and two (2) sets of Focus Group Discussion (FGD), each group made up of eight participants from northern and southern parts of the country respectively. All samples and selection of three states each from the two parts of the country were purposively selected across the country to generate data for the study. The findings from the study revealed that the government has failed to live up to its constitutional duty of protecting lives and property, coupled with the rising cases of violent crimes in the country. These have constrained the citizens to seek solace in the informal security apparatus since formal security has failed. The paper recommends effective laws making and enforcement as well as proactive steps to provide logistics for security apparatus will go a long way to halt insecurity in the country. There is also an urgent need for all stakeholders to support government efforts in providing security in our communities and society in general.