Benue State University, Makurdi

The Management of Nigeria’s Borders and Trans-Border Crime

Christian Teryima Akaayar

Abstract

The paper looked into the border management challenges and trans-border crimes resulting from poor border management of Nigeria that have threatened national security. The common transborder crimes across the border include stolen travel documents, goods smuggling, trafficking in drugs, arms, and irregular migration movements.. Oral interviews and secondary sources were employed to collect data, which was analyzed qualitatively. Structural functionalism theory is adopted for this paper which sees society as built upon order, interrelation, and balance among parts as a means of maintaining the smooth functioning of the whole. The results showed that there are inadequate housing options at border posts, unfavorable working conditions, border communities' support of patronizing illegal routes, which ensures that the routes continue to exist, inadequate logistical support with some of the border management agencies, and other problems. The governance system and human resource management are inadequate, and that the government lacks a human resource policy, which has caused Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to duplicate their tasks and responsibilities, thereby working at cross purposes against the interest of Nigeria at large. It is concluded that Nigeria's security issues have become significantly more challenging as a result of relative increase in transnational crime. As a result, the government must be committed to preserving control over her borders since evolving threats necessitate an all-encompassing plan. It suggested security measures, such as increasing cooperative border patrols, to seize operational control of Nigeria's wide borders.

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