Author(s) :

Magajiya Tanko, Shuaibu Garba Mohammed , Umeokafor Chibuike Chris.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

This paper assessed the impacts of the use of intelligence in conflict management in the North East insurgency. The right to protection by every citizen of any country is sacrosanct. This sacrosanctness derives from the social contract that establishes the state. At the core of social contract establishing the state is individuals giving up their right to self-protection in return for the state guaranteeing it. To carry out this primary responsibility, the government of every state uses various strategies including, but not limited to intelligence gathering. The main objective of this study is to highlight the importance of intelligence gathering, analysis and execution in conflict situations. Gathering intelligence on issues of national interests enables the government to identify potential conflicts before they occur, prevent from occurring and, when they occur, manage and resolve them. Thus, the use of intelligence in conflict resolution forms an integral element of conflict management. This research relied on secondary data. The theoretical framework of this research is the structural functionalist theory. So much scholarly work has been done about the ongoing North-East insurgency in Nigeria, however, very little has been said about how intelligence can significantly impact the management as well as the resolution of the conflict. The insurgency, over a decade on, has become a humanitarian disaster with thousands of lives lost, properties and means of livelihoods destroyed and millions of internally displaced people have become refugees in their own country. The thrust of this research is on how the government of Nigeria can effectively harness intelligence to manage the lingering insurgency in the North East. The study however found out that lack of political will and the politicization of national security by the government, have prompted intelligence ‘failures’ that have over the years hampered the course of managing and resolving this conflict. The study therefore recommended that engaging effective counter propaganda and a clear definition of duties and responsibilities of the agencies will help in intelligence gathering. Keywords: Conflict, Conflict Management, Intelligence, Insurgency

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