THE SECURITY CONUNDRUM OF THE NIGERIAN STATE.

Nigerians yet again woke up on 24th August to another shocking news of an attack on the country's number one security and defense academy the NDA (Nigerian Defense Academy) in kaduna State. A Major of the Nigerian Army was abducted according to the news reports and two lieutenants were killed while others sustained injuries. a ransom of N200 million was demanded by the abductors of the officer. It is not clear however what the security agencies did within the few hours of the abduction to anger the perpetrators.The major was later found dead in the bushes.

What is not surprising however, is the fact that the security agencies were once again caught napping. All of this is coming on the heels of the federal Government saying the terrorist group Boko haram are surrendering to the superior power of the Nigerian security agencies. There are talks of amnesty granted to the insurgents who appear out of the bush with hundreds of their families and victims pleading for forgiveness, not even leniency. One then wonders how this conflict will end.

Conflict transformation analysts like Charles Chidi Achodo have questioned the haste with which the government seem to be engaging the "repentant insurgents". caution on what it portends for Nigeria's secuirty architecture seems to fall on deaf ears. examples of the Sierra Leone and Liberian scenarios were given to add some voice to the wind of caution. Had the government listened to these men,