Politics of Security Challenges and Implications for the Management of Schools: Evidence from Northern Nigeria
Abstract
This positional paper argues that the chronic insecurity ravaging northern Nigeria is not merely a product of ungoverned spaces or ideological extremism, but is fundamentally a consequence of the deliberate politicisation of security by Nigerian political elites who have consistently subordinated the welfare of citizens to electoral calculations and elite self- preservation. Drawing on securitization theory, political elite theory, and human security frameworks, the paper employs a systematic qualitative review of peer-reviewed literature, governmental reports, and credible media documentation to interrogate how politically engineered insecurity has precipitated catastrophic consequences for school management, student welfare, and educational continuity across northern Nigeria. The paper specifically examines landmark kidnapping incidents in Jangebe and Talata Mafara LGA (Zamfara State), Katsina State, Niger State, and the November 2025 assault on Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, Danko/Wasagu LGA, Kebbi State, where Vice Principal Malam Hassan Yakubu Makuku was killed. The paper concludes with evidence- based recommendations for depoliticising security governance in Nigeria.
Keywords
Security politicisationschool managementnorthern Nigeriaschool kidnappingsbanditryinsecurityeducational administration
References
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