An Appraisal of Security Restructuring in Nigeria emerging Debate on State Police and Indigenous Vigilantes Group (A Case Study of Civilian Joint Task Force in the Fight against Terrorism in the North-East 2009-2018)

Security, whether perceived or real, is a strong foundation for human and societal developments.  Therefore, a breach in security among a people is not just a bane to advancement but destroys achievements sustained over years in no time.  To this end, security remains paramount in all facet of human Endeavour.  Security templates are dynamic and formulated to fit the needs of the particular society.  Nigeria operates a centralized system of security, in which the command and control is structured in top-down fashion.  For many years, there have been calls for an autonomous, semi-autonomous and decentralized security apparatus in the country, through the creation of state police and co-optation of grassroots vigilantes.  The spates of violence in various parts of the country have multiplied these calls a thousand times over and are louder than ever.  In 2014, in Maiduguri, ordinary citizens with sticks and some with bare hands rose against the sophisticated and well-armed Boko Haram terrorist group. This civilian force became known as Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).  The co-option of CJTF into the operations of the security arms became a game changer in the fight against Boko Haram.  This paper therefore looks into the rise  of the CJTF and how the use of such grassroots vigilantes can be a credible option in the call for the restructuring of the security apparatus in the country.  This call is beyond just a change of strategy in the count‟s security outfit but an evolutionary transition necessary for the continued cooperate existence of the entity called Nigeria.

Keywords:  Security, security restructuring, CJTF, state Police, terrorism.