NATIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA: ASSESSING THE ROLE OF INTER-AGENCY COLLABORATION IN PROTECTING OIL INFRASTRUCTURE AGAINST TERRORISM AND INSURGENCY.

Abstract

Nigeria’s oil infrastructure is a vital component and backbone of Nigerian economy, along with its energy security, has faced enduring threats from terrorism, insurgency, pipeline vandalism, and oil theft, particularly in the Niger Delta and surrounding regions. This paper employs a qualitative secondary documentary analysis to assess how inter-agency collaboration assists in safeguarding crucial oil assets against asymmetric threats. It selects publicly available policy documents, official reports, inter-agency memoranda, white papers, academic articles, legislative records, and security statements from 2000 to 2024 to explore how security institutions either collaborate or fail in the protection of oil infrastructure. The study focuses on themes such as institutional coordination, intelligence sharing, operational cooperation, legal frameworks, and obstacles to collaboration among key actors, including the Nigerian Army, Navy, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Security Division. Although mechanisms like the Joint Task Force (JTF) and Operation Delta Safe are established to promote cooperation, their effectiveness is hindered by bureaucratic divisions, agency rivalries, inconsistent political backing, and overlapping roles. The research uncovers a lack of standard procedures for joint operations, underutilization of surveillance technologies, and limited joint training, which has weaken the overall response to insurgency and sabotage of oil infrastructure. These weaknesses exacerbate threats to Nigeria’s economic stability and sovereignty. Employing a theoretical approach that combines institutionalism and security governance, the paper critically analyses the limitations of current inter-agency strategies. It advocates for a new collaborative model, including legal reforms to clearly define roles, establishing an integrated command and control centre, and developing joint protocols for real-time intelligence sharing. The paper, among others, recommends the adoption of a proactive, intelligence-led, and unified approach for tackling Nigeria’s oil infrastructure against emerging threats amid persistent terrorism and insurgency.