Border Security: A Culture in Crisis in South Western Nigeria?

Abstract

A combination of public speculations and avalanche of media reportage are suggestive of fading culture of border security giving rise to evolving organized crimes along popular borders between Nigeria and Benin Republic. The study sought to establish veracity or otherwise of the claim with a view to signpost possible implications via security lens. Study adopted descriptive design and empirical evidence from analyzed data indicated faded culture of border security and affirmed six genres of organized crimes namely human trafficking, vehicle smuggling, smuggling of contraband goods, smuggling of small arms and light weapons, drug trafficking and migrant smuggling, perpetrated at varying degrees with contributory causes being border porosity, ignorance of the crimes, lucrativity of the crimes, poverty and unemployment. The nefarious practices were affirmed and noted to constitute a huge burden on the nation in different spheres, security sphere in particular. Thus, upgraded digitization of border security operations via incorporation of aerial surveillance, training on inter-agency collaboration, sensitization of border area dwellers, strategic recruitment of personnel and national rebirth advocacy to encourage legitimate dealings along the corridor to rebuild the culture of border security intelligence among border community dwellers and rekindle sense of patriotism in border security operatives were recommended