Local Governance And The Dynamics Of Insecurity In Nigeria: Insights From Odo Otin Local Government, Osun State

Abstract

Nigeria is now confronted by a serious and widespread security issue that goes beyond local or regional levels. Insecurity has now reached rural areas and changed lives, work and government there. The federal government oversees internal security, the rising insecurity in villages and towns has revealed that local leaders are more valuable in handling local challenges. The goal of this paper is to analyze the link between administration in local government and insecurity in Nigeria, looking carefully at Odo Otin Local Government Area of Osun State. The focus of this study is to look at how local structures deal with insecurity and what abilities and obstacles they face. The research method uses secondary data alone, while following a qualitative design. Research was conducted using scholarly journal articles, government documents, security agency reports, civil society publications and well-known media sites. In the study, literature and recorded events are combined to examine the different forms of insecurity in Odo Otin LGA, understand their causes, study how local governments manage them and what stops the community from resolving insecurity. By using secondary sources, we are able to point out persistent patterns and faults in governance that we might not see at first from primary data alone. It has been observed that there are cases Insecurity in Odo Otin LGA. Land disputes, petty offenses by young people, group feuds between farmers and herders and hostility in local politics are common problems. It is highlighted in the study that ordinary people first contact local governments, who are then expected to fight insecurity even though they do not have formal security powers. In response to prevailing instability, the Odo Otin local government engages traditional rulers in informal consultations, supports community-based groups within neighborhoods, and collaborates with regional security initiatives such as Amotekun. However, these efforts are generally reactive rather than proactive, constrained by limited financial resources, and lack effective coordination with government agencies at both the state and federal levels. The analysis shows that several problems in the system make it difficult for local efforts to address insecurity. Inadequacies are found in the national constitution regarding the job of protecting local communities, weak arrangements for province financing on their own, interference from state politicians and bad frameworks for letting communities participate in decisions. Moreover, local authorities are less able to progress with peace or conflict prevention due to the absence of rules or planned security measures. According to the research, Nigeria must assess its current security governance to help address the nation’s problems with insecurity. If grassroots security is to last, community governments should see improvements in management, finances and laws. The report points out that local governments should be officially treated as key collaborators in strategies for both peacebuilding and stopping crime. If Odo Otin serves as an example, a more active community-based security approach can be implemented thanks to the working partnerships and traditional ways of governing now existing there.