INSECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF SOKOTO STATE (2015-2021)

Abstract

The alarming level of Insecurity in Nigeria has fuelled the crime rate and terrorist attacks in different part of the country. The situation has deteriorated that some communities in Sokoto state now experience weekly invasion by gunmen, who abduct residents and take them to an 'unknown destination. This study aims to examine the impact of insecurity and sustainable democracy in Sokoto state and the specific objectives were to examine the nature and character of Insecurity, explain the extent to which insecurity affected the development of democracy and also to discuss the solution to insecurity in Sokoto State. The research adopted Frustration Aggression theory as the theoretical framework which says that aggression is the result of blocking, frustrating, and a person record to attain a goal, the theory also concerns the redirection of or displacement of aggression. The sample size of the study was 246 residents of Sokoto state. The data for this study was collected from primary and secondary sources, the study uses descriptive statistical tools for the analysis of data gathered from the questionnaire. Findings from the study suggest that the greatest challenge to the security of Sokoto state and Nigeria at large is the army of poor and unemployed youth, statistics shows that the present state of unemployment in the country is fifty percent, while the national poverty rate is over seventy percent of the population. These have led to a surge in criminal activities in Nigeria. The study recommended a need by the government to provide adequate security in the country and adequate security needs to be provided during electoral campaigns and during the conduct of election, also people should be more security conscious, share information with the authorities. Furthermore, the study also recommended government to increase the size of Nigeria’s security agencies, empower and motivate them very well and strengthen neighborhood watch.