Securing Peace in the Indigene-Settler Crisis of Jos, Nigeria: A Case for Second-Generation Security Approaches

Abstract

The frequency and brutish nature of violent conflicts especially those rooted in contestations oyer autochthony and land in many post-colonial African nation-states have exposed the limited capability of the Police to contain such crises: thereby necessitating the deployment of the military to such conflict-ridden communities. Sequel to the inability of the Police to contain communal conflicts that have threatened peace and security since the inception of its fourth-republic in Plateau State, Nigeria's federal government found it imperative to draft the military to the state. Despite military presence, the indigene-settler crisis continues apace defined by guerrilla tactics which often makes it challenging for the military to enforce order. Using two instances of such bloody clashes to illustrate the security-promotion challenges confronting the first-generation approach currently in place as depicted by military presence, the article canvasses for a shift from first-generation approaches of security promotion to second-generation approaches that are context and locale-specific towards sustainable peace and security.