Nigeria’s security challenges require unconventional approach -Egbetokun

From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan

Former Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, has called for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture, saying the country’s growing security challenges can no longer be effectively tackled through conventional approaches.

Egbetokun, who spoke yesterday at the 20th International Conference and General Assembly of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP) in Ibadan, warned that emerging threats had become increasingly complex, interconnected and transnational, making traditional security responses inadequate.

The former police chief delivered the keynote address at the conference, held at the International Conference Centre of Lead City University, Ibadan, with the theme, “Security Governance and Global Dynamics.”

The gathering brought together scholars, security experts, policymakers, peace practitioners and other stakeholders to examine emerging threats to peace and security.

Speaking on “Security Governance and Global Dynamics: Rethinking Security, Institutions and the Future of Peace,” Egbetokun said cybercrime, terrorism, arms trafficking, drug trafficking, illicit financial flows, transnational criminal networks and disinformation were no longer isolated security threats.

He said the changing nature of insecurity required a shift from conventional approaches to what he described as “networked security,” involving government institutions, security agencies, international organisations, regional bodies, universities, the private sector, civil society and local communities.

“Security is no longer shaped exclusively by what happens within national borders or by what traditional security institutions are able to control,” he said.

According to him, financial transactions can cross several jurisdictions within seconds, cyberattacks can originate from distant parts of the world, while criminal networks can recruit members through digital platforms across continents.

He added that local conflicts could assume regional or international dimensions, while technologies developed for legitimate purposes could quickly be adapted for criminal activities.

Egbetokun noted that the same technologies driving economic development, communication and commerce could also be exploited to facilitate crime, violence, fraud and instability.

He said the state remained indispensable and sovereignty important, just as the armed forces, intelligence institutions, diplomacy and law enforcement remained essential, but stressed that none could effectively confront modern security threats in isolation.

“The state remains indispensable. Sovereignty remains important. Armed forces, intelligence institutions, diplomacy and law enforcement remain essential. But none of them can operate effectively in isolation,” he said.

The former IGP also advocated a stronger human-security approach, insisting that the protection and wellbeing of citizens must remain at the heart of national security policy.

He said security should not be measured solely by the size or sophistication of security institutions, but by whether citizens have access to food, healthcare, employment, education and protection from violence.

“A secure state with insecure citizens is not truly secure,” he declared.

Egbetokun warned that poverty and unemployment could create fertile ground for extremist recruitment, urging government to address the socioeconomic conditions that make vulnerable youths susceptible to criminal and extremist ideologies.

“A hungry, unemployed youth is a recruitment base for any extremist ideology. Policing poverty with bullets is a losing strategy,” he said.

‘Single federal police structure ungovernable’

On policing, the former police chief called for urgent reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture, arguing that the existing centralised structure was no longer adequate for the country’s population and security realities.

“A single federal police structure for 230 million people is ungovernable,” he said.

He advocated a constitutionally defined multi-level policing system involving federal, state and community structures, with clearly defined responsibilities, funding arrangements and accountability mechanisms.

Egbetokun, however, cautioned that the devolution of policing powers must be carefully managed to ensure clarity of roles, effective coordination and protection against abuse.

He also called for the development of what he described as a “security knowledge economy,” urging closer collaboration between security institutions and universities.

According to him, security agencies possess valuable operational experience that should be systematically documented and converted into research, data and evidence-based policies.

“We need research centres within our police colleges, military institutions and security agencies. We need after-action reviews, data analytics, and evidence-based policing. The Defence College should talk to the university,” he said.

Egbetokun identified cyberspace and the information environment as emerging fronts in internal security, calling for a national framework for information integrity.

He said Nigeria must develop effective measures against disinformation, hate speech and extremist propaganda while protecting legitimate freedom of expression.

The former IGP also identified artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies as both opportunities and potential security vulnerabilities.

He stressed that technological advancement must be accompanied by accountability, ethical standards and effective regulation to prevent emerging technologies from being exploited by criminals and extremist groups.

He further identified a governance gap as one of the major challenges confronting contemporary security management, noting that security threats were often emerging faster than institutions could respond.

He therefore called for greater emphasis on prevention, intelligence gathering, early warning systems, community engagement, resilience and institutional preparedness rather than relying predominantly on reactive security measures.

‘No military solution to governance problem’

Reflecting on his years at the highest level of Nigeria’s security establishment, Egbetokun said security challenges could not always be resolved through the use of force.

“I have sat in the highest security office in this country. I have seen the maps, the threat assessments, the body bags. And I can tell you with all humility: there is no military solution to a governance problem,” he said.

He added: “Security without peace is temporary. Peace without governance is illusory.”

The former police chief urged policymakers to strengthen regional and international partnerships, stressing that transnational crime could not be effectively confronted by any country acting alone.

He said the future of security governance depended on institutions capable of anticipating emerging risks, working across institutional boundaries, responsibly deploying technology and retaining public trust.

Earlier, President of the SPSP, Professor Benjamin Adeniran Aluko, said the conference was taking place against the backdrop of unprecedented uncertainty in the international system.

Aluko identified protracted violent conflicts, ethno-religious tensions, extremism, state fragility and declining institutional capacity as major features of the contemporary global environment.

He said security governance had consequently become central to efforts to promote peace, justice, human rights, development and social order.

Aluko also commended Egbetokun for his contribution to strengthening the relationship between the SPSP and the Nigeria Police Force during his tenure as IGP.

He recalled that Egbetokun opened the doors of the police to members of the society, enabling scholars to interact with senior police officers and gain greater insight into the operational challenges confronting the force.

According to him, the development represented a major breakthrough in efforts to bridge the gap between peace scholarship and security practice.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of Lead City University, Professor Remi Adeyemo, described the 20th conference as a significant milestone in the history of the SPSP.

Adeyemo commended the society for two decades of scholarship, advocacy and practical contributions to peacebuilding and conflict transformation.

He said the partnership between Lead City University and SPSP reflected their shared commitment to peace education, good governance and national development.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that contemporary security had moved beyond the traditional protection of territorial borders to encompass justice, economic opportunity, social inclusion, institutional trust and human dignity.

“Where governance is weak, insecurity thrives. Where justice is absent, conflict grows. Where citizens lose confidence in institutions, instability becomes inevitable,” he said.

The conference also featured the conferment of SPSP fellowships and honours on distinguished Nigerians, including the Chancellor of Lead City University, Professor Gabriel Babatunde Ogunmola.

The founder of SPSP, Professor Isaac Olawale Albert, paid tribute to Ogunmola for his support for the establishment and development of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan.

Albert also commended Egbetokun for opening the Nigeria Police Force to SPSP during his tenure, describing the development as an important milestone in the society’s engagement with security institutions.

Responding, Ogunmola described the gathering as a demonstration of the transformative power of knowledge, responsibility and institutional support.

He said the development of Peace and Conflict Studies showed what could be achieved when individuals used positions of responsibility to remove obstacles and create opportunities.

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