CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
One of the major setbacks to development in Nigeria is insecurity. Until very recently, plethora of explanations on the slow pace of development in Nigeria tends to pay infinitesimal attention to the centrality of security to national development. It is no surprise therefore that since 1999 when Nigeria returned to civil rule, insecurity tends to have hampered the nation. Security is evidently the pillar upon which every meaningful development could be achieved and sustained. Whilst Nigeria is endowed with abundant resources, negligence to numerous challenges of insecurity of the environment appears to have created porous security condition that engendered violence and retards development. The Nigerian economy is presently affected by insurgency.
According to Ladan (2012), insurgency refers to a violent move by a person or group of persons to resist or oppose the enforcement of law or running of government or revolt against constituted authority of the State or of taking part in insurrection. Insurgency as defined above becomes a violation to the Nigerian Constitution, Criminal Law and Nigeria‘s international treaty obligations in the following circumstances: when it constitutes an attack on defenceless civilians and their property resulting into injuries, loss of lives and property as well as forced or massive internal displacement of people out of their habitual places of residence; when it drives business/investors (local and foreign) away from an insecure nation; when it constitutes the elements of any of the following domestic and international crimes punishable by law: Treasonable felony, terrorism, murder, crimes against humanity and genocide (Ladan, 2012).
The Nigerian state is caught in the crossfire of national insecurity arising from terrorism. The most prominent of these, and one whose activities have had far-reaching destabilizing effect on the polity, is the Boko Haram sect. The Boko Haram sect, who uses the Taliban and al-Qaeda style terrorist tactics of suicide bombing and targeted assassination, is responsible for thousands of deaths since it declared war and engaged in armed insurgency in 2009. The sect has targeted and bombed state institutions, the United Nations building as well as many Christian worship centres, kidnapped innocent children in furtherance of its avowed objective of deploying terror to achieve the islamisation of the Nigerian state (Omale, 2013).
This study relies on the technique of content analysis as it looks at the imminent security danger posed by terrorism in the light of the present onslaught and the extent it has shaped development trajectories in Nigeria. It is the opinion of the study that security avails the opportunity for development. This research will explore the extent to which strategic intelligence is utilized within Nigeria and whether it could be used to identify terrorism and other national insecurities within the country. In this study, the researcher will obtain qualitative views and opinions of strategic decisions makers on their use of strategic intelligence. It is, however, generally viewed that the use of a strategic intelligence framework could greatly enhance decision-making. By understanding the extent to which strategic intelligence is utilized in countering terrorism in Nigeria, and the benefits or problems that are experienced by implementing and using strategic intelligence by our past and present presidents we can comprehend the value that strategic intelligence adds in the decision making process.