Security Challenges Before Nigeria’s Incoming Administration

On the 29^th of May, 2023, a new administration will be inaugurated to captain the affairs of Nigeria for the next four years. The incoming administration will be confronted by the growing internal and regional security challenges threatening the stability of the Nigerian state. Internally, the new administration will be challenged by banditry in the North West, insurgency by Boko Haram and the Islamic State  West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the North East and parts of North Central, farmer-herder menace in the North Central and parts of South West, the menace of unknown gunmen and separatist agitation in the South East, crude oil theft and connected militancy in the South-South. At the regional level, terrorist activities, civil wars, and political instabilities across the Sahel threaten security with negative implications for internal security in Nigeria. The growing activities of jihadist insurgents in countries like Mali and Burkina Faso have the tendency to establish stronger cross-border links with insurgents and bandits operating in Nigeria to worsen the security situation in the country. The political instabilities connected to recent coups and counter-coups in Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso and the ongoing war in Sudan may unleash large cache of weapons, ammunition, and armed fighters, which may be easily exploited by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) to further heinous activities in Nigeria and across the region.

Ahead of the May 29^th, 2023 inauguration, this edition of Nextier SPD Policy Weekly reflects on the security challenges staring at the incoming administration in Nigeria, particularly on the possibilities of the growing regional security crises across the Sahel region coalescing with and exacerbating Nigeria’s internal security challenges.

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