Civil Militia and Nigeria's National Secuirty: A Case Study of the Militia in the Niger Delta

Niger Delta has a large reservoir of oil and gas. It also has abundantagricultural land, forest resources, excellent fisheries and large labourforce. Ironically, the exploration of the multinational oil companiesin the region has polluted the air, sea and land environment. Thus,depriving the indigenes of their means of livelihood which arefishing and farming. As a result, it has led to youth restiveness andhas developed into militancy and oil pipeline vandalism in the region.The study assumes that the emergence and activities of the militiaare directly related to adverse socio-economic conditions in theNiger Delta while the activities of the multinational oil companiesin the region have generated violent conflicts that pose a seriousthreat to national security in Nigeria. It is against this backgroundthat this study examines the threat the Niger Delta Militia pose toNigeria's national security with a view to making recommendationsto resolve the crisis.The study covers the period between 1993 and 2012 . It uses thesocial conflict theory to discuss the failure of the state on one hand,to guarantee the safety of lives and properties and the inability ofthe multinational oil companies, on the other to maintainenvironmental and corporate social responsibility to the hostcommunities as the basis of the crisis.