Security Implication of Ecowas Free Movement on Nigeria

Usman Budi Nwunuji; Abdullahi Mohd Abdul PhD; Assoc.Prof. Canice E. Erunke

doi:10.56201/jpslr.vol.12.no1.2026.pg47.65

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Security Implication of Ecowas Free Movement on Nigeria

Usman Budi Nwunuji, Abdullahi Mohd Abdul PhD, Assoc.Prof. Canice E. Erunke

Abstract

The ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons was adopted to promote regional integration, economic cooperation, and unhindered mobility among West African states. However, its implementation has generated significant security concerns for Nigeria, particularly in relation to border management and internal stability. This study examined the security implications and prospects of the ECOWAS Free Movement Policy on Nigeria’s national security. Using a survey research design, data were collected through structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, and secondary sources from stakeholders, including security personnel, immigration officers, ECOWAS officials, and residents of selected border communities in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, and Taraba States. Quantitative data were analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies, while qualitative data were subjected to descriptive analysis. The study was anchored on Neo-functionalism and Regional Integration Theory to explain the spillover effects of regional integration on national security. Findings reveal that although the policy has enhanced regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint security operations such as the Multinational Joint Task Force, it has also contributed to increased security vulnerabilities in Nigeria. These vulnerabilities manifest in the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, insurgency, banditry, human trafficking, and other transnational crimes facilitated by porous borders and weak enforcement mechanisms. The study concludes that while the ECOWAS Free Movement Policy holds significant prospects for improving regional security and economic stability, its success in Nigeria depends on effective border control, strengthened intelligence-sharing frameworks, and coordinated regional security responses. The study therefore recommends enhanced border surveillance, joint patrols, improved security infrastructure, and stronger institutional collaboration among ECOWAS member states t

Keywords

ECOWAS Free Movement PolicyNational SecurityBorder ManagementRegional IntegrationTransnational CrimeNigeria

References

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Security Implication of Ecowas Free Movement on Nigeria

Abstract

Keywords

References

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