Reflections on Security Contracts to Ex-Violent Actors:  Issues of Trust, Continuing Tensions and Sustainability of Peace

Recently, Mr Asari Dokubo, leader of an ex-militant group in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, claimed that he was contracted by the regime of former President Muhammadu Buhari, which lasted from 2015 to 2023 to provide security services in the country. While he may have an armed organisation, the license to operate in Nigeria as a military company is difficult to be supported by Nigerian laws. The Federal Government also concessions security of the pipelines, mostly in the Niger Delta, to former militant organisations. The contract, however, has become a basis of contention among former militant leaders in the Niger Delta because it is not all of them that were included.

Thus, in this edition of Nextier SPD Policy Weekly, we engage the security relationship between the state and former violent non-state actors in the Niger Delta with a view to exploring remedial measures.

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