Governance And Security Management In Kogi State, 2016-2021

Abstract

This study examines governance and security management in Kogi State, Nigeria, from 2016 to 2021 through an interdisciplinary framework connecting security governance with law, public policy, institutional development, education policy and social justice. A qualitative case-study design using key-informant interviews and documentary analysis was used. The participants included people with knowledge or experience of security governance from security institutions, the local government, traditional institutions and community-based security groups. The wider institutional implications of the findings were derived from relevant legal and policy documents such as the Nigeria Constitution, the Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act 2004, the National Policy on Education and the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in Nigeria. The study pinpoints the threats of kidnapping, armed robbery, communal conflict and political violence as some of the major security concerns, while poverty, youth unemployment, institutional weaknesses and limits in coordination emerged as some of the concerns. State response involved vigilante services, working with local hunters, Operation Total Freedom, logistic support to security agencies and increased surveillance and involvement of communities. The study suggests that accountable institutions, lawful, and rights-sensitive practices and community trust and preventive social policies are essential components of a sustainable security management. Education, vocational skills development, youth opportunity and school-safety governance are examined as complementary policy dimensions rather than as independently measured outcomes. The study concludes that security management should be understood within a wider law–education–society framework in which public safety, educational opportunity, institutional accountability and social development are interconnected responsibilities of governance.