Military Coups in West Africa and Insecurity in Nigeria: An Overview

Abstract

The post-independence period in the West African countries, specifically the late 1950s upward, experienced serial military coups and counter coups. This development may not be unrelated with the self-seeking nature of the politicians; they were power hungry and ambitious, thus, were indicted in military coups and counter-coups. Since the army was ill-equipped and inexperienced in governance, the sub-region has been generally backward. The main thrust of this paper is to examine the rise and development of military coups in West Africa especially with a view to determining the highs and lows of military coups and how they affected political stability or otherwise in Nigeria. This is evident in the recent coup that occurred in Niger Republic on the 26^th of July, 2023. Secondary sources were relied upon; and a historical methodology was adopted. Findings indicate that the failure of government in a country is largely responsible for military coup; the incidence of military coup in one country is likely to instigate military coup in neighbouring countries. This paper further argues that the Niger coup came in the wake of recent coups in nearby countries such as Guinea, Mali and Sudan.