Exploring Social Theories in the Study of Insecurity in Contemporary Nigeria

The nature of insecurity at global level is changing rapidly. In the Cold-War era, its problem was an issue of concern among countries but, it later changed to become a major challenge within different countries in the Post-War era. The case of African societies is critical due to the emergence of non-violent conflicts which seem to have compounded the already existing violent conflicts in these countries. This article uses social theories to explain this problem in Nigeria via data from secondary source. The article among other things examines the concept of insecurity, sources of insecurity, and theoretical approaches to insecurity, which include traditional (Functionalism and Marxism) and contemporary theories (Elite, social structure and anomie as well as relative deprivation theories) as they relate to the problem of insecurity in contemporary Nigeria. The study concludes that none of these theories could adequately provide an extensive explanation of the phenomenon under study but it offers synthesis of all the theories to provide an encompassing knowledge.