ITODO FELICIA
Department of History, Research and Archive
National Defence College, Abuja
&
ADAM OKENE AHMED, PhD
Provost National Defence College, Abuja
Abstract
The North Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria, is often considered the geographical and cultural heartland of the country. Unfortunately, it has experienced multifaceted security challenges since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999. A complex interplay of social, economic, and political factors have contributed to the zone’s volatile security landscape. Nevertheless, three states in the zone have been the majorly affected. This study therefore, focuses on the majorly affected three states viz; Benue and Plateau States. It examines the historical context of North Central Nigeria, tracing the roots of security challenges in the area to pre-colonial, colonial, and post-independence eras. Focusing on the period spanning 1999 to 2022, the paper delves into the evolving nature of security threats, encompassing ethno-religious conflicts, farmers-herders clashes, economic disparities, and political instabilities, among others. The role of extremist groups, such as Boko Haram and splinter factions, further complicates the security dynamics in the zone. Harnessing both primary and secondary sources, the study adopts descriptive and analytical methods. The findings reveal that the security challenges confronting Benue, and Plateau States and the North Central in general have pose dire implications impacting the socio-economic development of the zone. It concludes that the effort of the government in curbing the security challenges in these states are inadequate which is why security challenges in these three states of the North Central have resulted in the wanton destruction of lives and property.
Keywords; conflicts, ethno-religious crises, insecurity, and North Central Nigeria.
Introduction Security challenges are not new occurrence in global history which is why many countries of the world have grappled or are grappling with the challenges of insecurity. The level of alertness and how different countries handle these security challenges are the distinguishing factors that put countries on a different pedestal. The United States of America which is considered as one of the strongest countries in the world has had its fair share of the insecurity nightmares, especially following the activities of trans-national terrorist networks which threatened