Abstract
The problem of border porosity is a key focus for experts in international relations, contemporary studies, global communities, and international law. This attention is due to the fact that every country in the world shares its borders with one or more neighboring nations. Nigeria has approximately 200 million people and is perhaps the most populous country in the African continent. Ironically, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that there are over 350 million illegal arms and ammunition circulating in Nigeria. This suggests that the number of illegal arms circulating in Nigeria is by far more than the country's population. Hence, the 2022 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) rated Nigeria as the third most terrorized country in the world. Since Nigeria is not an arms manufacturer, it is logical to say that these arms must have found their way into Nigeria through the country's borders. In 2019, the Nigerian government reported that the country has over 1,400 illegal routes and 86 legal entry points along its roughly 4,500 kilometers of land borders, suggesting that Nigeria possesses some of the most porous borders globally. It is against this background, that this paper seeks to interrogate why Nigeria’s porous borders and insecurity persist with a systemic analysis. The paper aimed at examining the consequence of border porosity on Nigeria’s national security. Using qualitative approach to this study, this paper adopted a secondary method of gathering data; where data was gathered from textbooks, journals, articles, published and unpublished works, and the internet. In conducting this research, the securitization theory was adopted to explain why states have to deal with issues that constitute national security threats and challenges. The major finding of this paper is that; Nigeria’s border porosity and insecurity led to food scarcity in the northeast. In the struggle for food, people have got into serious crises. Banditry, high level of kidnapping and insecurity have increased in Nigeria’s northern region and other parts of the country.
Keywords: Porous Borders, Security, Banditry, Insecurity, Systemic Theory