The Politicization of Traditional Institutions and National Security in Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the politicization of traditional institutions and national security, and it was noted that the Nigerian state is currently facing serious security challenges as the insecurity in Nigeria has graduated from petty crimes such as assault, stealing, etc. to heinous crimes such as bombing, highway robbery, burglary, arson, murder, rape, etc. Structural functionalism theory is adopted in this study to establish the traditional rulership institution as a functional organ within the nucleus of security challenges facing Nigerian society. The study adopted secondary sources of data collection and analysis. It was discovered that the existence of traditional rulers in Nigeria predates the coming of Europeans into Africa, but recently, there has been the politicization of traditional institutions, which has affected national security in Nigeria. Based on the foregoing, the study recommends that traditional institutions should not be politicized but rather allowed to play vital roles in the socio-economic development of their communities.