Vernacular Security and Local Constructions of Insecurity: A Case Study of Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Mainstream security discourses in Nigeria have long been dominated by state-centric perspectives that frame insecurity through the lenses of terrorism, insurgency, and national security. However, these discourses often obscure the everyday ways in which ordinary people experience, narrate, and respond to insecurity. It is based on this stance that this article examines the conceptual framework of Vernacular Security Studies (VSS) to explore how residents of Plateau State, Nigeria, articulate and operationalize their own meanings of security and insecurity. Using qualitative research approach that draws on interviews, focus group discussions, and secondary sources, the study examines the vernacular categories through which Plateau residents perceive insecurity such as An Fara (“it has started”), Malos (a local label for Muslims, often derogatory and pejorative), Fulani (as both threat and victim identity), and Yan Ta’adi (bandits/violent actors). The article argues that these terms are not mere linguistic artifacts but powerful vernacular securitizations that structure everyday practices of vigilance, exclusion, and resilience. By foregrounding local vocabularies of security, the study highlights the inadequacy of top-down counterinsurgency narratives and demonstrates the importance of grounding security studies in local knowledge.