Security personnel and management of rural insecurity in North Central Nigeria, 2015–2025

This study investigated security personnel and management of rural insecurity in North Central Nigeria. It argued that the absence of security Personnel in rural areas increases insecurity in North Central Nigeria. This has created ungoverned spaces where criminals commit crimes and evade arrest. Rural populations are subjected to persistent and severe insecurity, characterised by recurrent incidents of kidnapping, extrajudicial killings, and the deliberate burning of victims; most often, these destructive activities happen outside areas of police and security control. The study adopts mixed qualitative methods of data collection involving rapid review of documented materials and interviews. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study appropriates the basic propositions from the ungoverned spaces thesis and explains that the lack of border policing increases rural insecurity in rural areas. Findings show that the absence of State security personnel in rural areas increases rural insecurity in North Central Nigeria. Consequently, sustainable management of rural insecurity requires a comprehensive approach that combines effective security operations with accountable governance, rural development, equitable resource management, functional justice institutions, community-based conflict resolution, and measures that address the socioeconomic conditions underlying insecurity.