TRADITIONAL RULERS AND CITIZENS’ RESPONSES TO BORDER SECURITY CHALLENGES IN TARABA STATE, NIGERIA: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Abstract
This paper presents a comprehensive literature review examining the roles of traditional rulers and citizens in responding to border security challenges in Taraba State, Nigeria. Situated at the tripoint boundary of Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad, Taraba State faces acute cross-border insecurities, including armed banditry, Fulani-farmer conflicts, cattle rustling, small arms proliferation, and transnational criminal networks. The paper argues that traditional rulers, as custodians of customary authority and community trust, occupy a critical yet undertheorized space in Nigeria's security architecture. Drawing from hybrid governance theory, community policing theory, and the human security framework, the review synthesises empirical evidence from 2019 to 2025 to assess the extent to which indigenous governance structures complement formal state mechanisms in managing border threats. The paper identifies persistent gaps in the literature regarding the gendered dimensions of border insecurity, the digital transformation of traditional authority, and the accountability mechanisms governing non-state security actors. The paper concludes that sustainable border security in Taraba State requires the institutionalisation of traditional rulers and citizen-based platforms within formal security governance frameworks.
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