AMOTEKUN AS THE BEDROCK FOR NATIONAL SECURITY: A REFLECTION ON JOHN LOCKE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY

ABSTRACT

Security of life and properties is an integral role of the government of every society, as when the people are convinced that they are not secured in the society, they lose respect and loyalty to the government of the day. Insecurity in Nigeria is seen as a chronic threat to human life. In recent times, Nigeria has witnessed an unprecedented level of insecurity and terrorism since the advent of the present democratic dispensation. The pattern of insecurity has been regionalized: Militia groups in the south, insurgency in the north, kidnapping in the east and west, political and non-political calculated assassinations across the nation. The regional pattern of insecurity has given rise to regional security formation in the country in a bid to curtail the alarming rate of insecurity. This have become the happening in the Nigeria political sphere as the government of the day have not proven itself capable of curbing the various issues of insecurity faced by Nigeria and this is why the citizens on their own have lost hope and confidence in their government. Citizens tends to take autonomous position in handling security matters in their region. This work will aim at analyzing the Western Nigeria Security means of securing themselves through the formation of the Amotekun Security outfit, bearing in mind John Locke Social Contract theory which proposed that the people has the legitimate right to resist and to challenge Authority if the government infringes on the individual rights and lacks the ability to protect their lives and properties. This essay will portray the analytic method of philosophy.