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One of the determinants of free, fair and credible election is the security of lives and property before, during and after the electioneering process. Despites the fact that large number of Military and Paramilitary personnel are mobilized for the conduct of Elections, cases of violence, snatching of ballot boxes, loss of lives and property are on the increase in most elections in Nigeria during the fourth republic. In light of the above, this paper examines the challenges and prospects of 2023 general elections with regards to the security of lives and property through the instrumentalities of the Nigerian Police Force and other security personnel. The main objective of the paper is to assess the implications of using the police and other security personnel on national security in 2023 general elections. Methodologically, the paper adopts a qualitative approach for the purpose of obtaining the required materials through the contents analysis of documents from National Independent Electoral Commission, Election (INEC), Independent Observers reports, observations from the participating political parties, the reports of Transparency International and extant laws. The outcome of the paper revealed that the major challenges envisaged from 2023 general elections is the fact that the security of lives and property of citizens may not be guaranteed if the security Agencies carry out assigned responsibilities in an unprofessional and partisan manner. The study therefore recommended that the security agencies should carry out assigned duties and responsibilities in a professional and non-partisan way in order to guarantee the security of life and properties of citizens before, during and after the 2023 general elections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The prolonged military incursion in Nigerian politics in favour of the oligarchy brought agitation for the democratic rule; it exacerbated ethnicity and created the fear of domination of the minority by the majority. The advent of democracy ushered in a new breath of life and took Nigerians away from the shackle of military oppression to civilian rule. The democratic rule became a mirage as a result of prevalent insecurity in Nigeria. Unfortunately, efforts to bring lasting peace to all sections of the country have not yielded positive result till date. The failure has resulted in general insecurity among ethnic groups consequent upon which ethnic militia emerged among groups for the defence of their members or individual groups. The phenomenon also resulted from the unequal distribution of wealth by the military Junta. This trend resulted in general perennial crises. Even the democracy was instituted, the warlords of the various militia groups constituted themselves into obstacles to democratic institutions. Even the democratic institutions deviated from using security agencies for the security of other citizens. Instead, security agencies became politicised, which has remained the dominant factor hindering the actualisation of dividends of democracy. And today, needless to even say that insecurity or unrest has crippled socio-political and economic spheres of life of the nation. This paper examines democracy and security in Nigeria, the security challenges in various regions of Nigeria and the contributions made by the military institutions in maintaining peace and security under demo- cratic rule since 1999 up to 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discussed Nigerian military, national security and the role of the mass media in democracy. The media are critical stakeholders in the Nigerian project. During colonial rule, the press led the fight for Nigeria independence. During military rule, the media led the fight to return the country to democracy. The study explained that the press has been the foremost instrument of fighting for equity, justice, unity and the development of Nigeria. Journalists should be empowered to tell the powerful stories that will aid our overall collective development; keep our leaders and institutions accountable; foster peace and unity; as well as inspire a sense of patriotic duty amongst the citizenry. To strengthen the media, which is the Fourth Estate of The Realm in democracy is a task that must be done. The mass media in Nigeria should be used to enhance and sustain the security of the nation. This means that mass media should never be used as divisive instrument among the people of Nigeria but rather should be used for the promotion and consolidation of national unity and integration. It is also recommended that security operatives should work with media practitioners as watchdogs of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]