Two Sides of a Coin: Traditional Rulership and the Mitigation of Nonstate Security Threats in Nigeria

Nigeria faces a serious set of new security threats. In the south and the northeast, respectively, there are insurgencies led by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, among others, as well as Boko Haram. These insurgencies are related to a complex set of insecurities in Nigeria: poverty, income inequality, corruption, crime, and youth militias. The Nigeria state thus far has not been able to effectively address these security issues. This article examines the potential of traditional rulership in Nigeria to positively contribute to the struggle against insecurity and its consequences. It finds that there may be promise in the institutions of traditional rule. Yet, because traditional rulers have been often co-opted by the state, they have lost much of the legitimacy it needs to fulfill that potential.