American International Journal of Social Science

Overview of Security Sector Reforms and the Transformation of the Nigerian’s
Security Agencies, Atelhe, George Atelhe, Adams John Anyabe, Abunimye Sunday B

Introduction
All over the world, meaningful development cannot take place in an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy. Thus, a secured environment is a sine qua non for peace and sustainable development. This is the reason behind every government making efforts to provide security as the basic necessity of governance. In Nigeria, right from independence in 1960, the country has been bedevilled with several security challenges that are both internal and external. Nigeria’s historical experience is replete with various degrees of internal and external threats and unrests-ranging from constitutional crises; election crises; census crises; the civil war; inter-state boundary clashes; coups and counter coups and currently insurgency. Most often, these crises have aggravated and degenerated into unimaginable proportions due to the ineptitude and lack of professionalism on the part of the security sectors (agencies) to nip such crises in the bud. In the past, most crises which the country’s security sector had to contend with were essentially traditional in nature and hence required traditional approaches to solving them. However, with the unprecedented growth of modern science and technology especially of information and telecommunication technology (ICT) and the concomitant unprecedented upsurge in crime especially the insurgency (Boko Haram) onslaught in the North Eastern part of the country. The inability of the security agencies to act proactively and professionally has led to the growth of multiple security threats on a sustained scale.

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