Social Movements and National Security in Nigeria: A Study of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)

Christopher I. Obiukwu; Ekeledirichukwu C. Njoku

doi:10.51867/AQSSR.1.3.9

Authors

Christopher I. Obiukwu Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria Author
Ekeledirichukwu C. Njoku Kingsley Ozumba (K.O.) Mbadiwe University, Ideato, Imo State, Nigeria Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5739-5697

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/AQSSR.1.3.9

Keywords:

Insecurity, IPOB, National Security, Separatist Movement, Social Movement, Southeast Zone

Abstract

Nigeria has been engulfed in crises of national question regarding its corporate existence as a sovereign state entity by the emergence and agitators of groups such as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The ability of the separatist movement to mobilise actions has increased the volatility of insecurity in Nigeria’s South East/South-South zones. The study aims to examine the nexus between IPOB threat and national security so as to identify the factors behind IPOB movement. Based on the descriptive study design, the study adopted the opportunity structure perspective as its theoretical framework. The literature is descriptive in nature and adopted secondary method of data collection. The data was collected from secondary sources such as internal publications, newspaper reports, journal articles, official reports documentations and documentaries, and textbooks and commentaries. The findings of the study revealed that although the IPOB movement is fueled by a feeling of victimisation and marginalisation among the Igbos, the movement constitutes a threat to national security. In conclusion, the study recommends the need to engage the genuine IPOB agitators in meaningful dialogue and also fish out the criminal elements whose activities threaten national security.

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