Publication

Traditional Authority and Security in Contemporary Nigeria

Exploring the contentious landscape of Nigeria's escalating violence, this book describes the changing roles of traditional authorities in combatting contemporary security challenges.

Author: David Ehrahardt, David Oladimeji Alao, M. Sani Umar
Date: 13 November 2023
Links: Find the book here

This book is part of the Tradition4Peace (T4P) project that focuses on the changing roles of tradition authorities in security, conflict, and peace-building in Nigeria. It offers an empirical analysis of the roles of traditional authorities - including kings, Ezes, Obas, and Emirs - who are often hailed as potent alternatives to the state in security governance. It complicates the assumption that these traditional leaders, by virtue of their customary legitimacy and popular roots, are singularly effective in preventing and managing violence. Instead, in exploring their creative adaptation to governance roles after a dramatic postcolonial downturn, this book argues that traditional leaders can augment, but not substitute, the state in addressing insecurity.