Proceedings of The 6th International Academic Conference on Research in Social Sciences
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Intelligence Gathering and Public Policy Process in Sub-Saharan Africa
Akah, Augustine Ugar (PhD), Chris I. Nwagboso (PhD), Uno Ijim Agbor (PhD), Pius Otu Abang (PhD), Nwagboso, Nnenna Salome
ABSTRACT:
This paper focuses on Intelligence Gathering in Sub-Saharan Africa, using Nigeria as a reference point. It seeks to examine whether policymakers and security formations have successfully harnessed the benefits of Intelligence Gathering to control the prevailing wave of violence and internal security challenges in the region, which are currently impeding the peaceful co-existence among the people. The paper adopts descriptive and desk research as its methodological orientation. The results of the analyses revealed a compromise of the basic principles of Intelligence Gathering, particularly those relating to Human Intelligence, which security agencies could have adequately utilised to curb the rate of internal security crises. The study further revealed that the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Service, the National Intelligence Agency, the Nigerian Customs Services, the Nigerian Immigration Services, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other agencies are performing below expectations in terms of Human Intelligence Gathering. The paper argued that the lack of an effective policy process delimits Human Intelligence Gathering and accounts for the abysmal failure of Nigeria’s internal security agencies in the last three decades. This is responsible for increasing insecurity and social crimes bedevilling the country. The paper, therefore, recommends, among others, the reinvigoration of the Intelligence Gathering to consolidate the crime prevention efforts by the security agencies in Nigeria and to reposition the policy process to follow the ideal stages in the policy implementation cycle.
keywords: Intelligence Gathering, Public Policy, Security Agencies, Sub-Saharan Africa, Internal Security