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Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates the paradoxical use of ex-militants as security contractors in the Niger Delta. It explores how this evolving form of security outsourcing reshapes conflict dynamics, challenges peacebuilding frameworks, and influences the legitimacy of state actors in conflict transformation

Paper long abstract:

The conflict landscape of the 21st century increasingly exhibits indistinct boundaries between state and non-state actors, with private security contractors, including ex-combatants, assuming pivotal roles. This paper analyses the Niger Delta as a significant case study of this trend, emphasising the Nigerian government’s dependence on ex-militants to address oil theft via surveillance contracts. While these arrangements provide short-term security solutions, they raise critical questions about the legitimacy, effectiveness, and unintended consequences of employing former insurgents as state-sanctioned security providers. The discussion will explore the drivers behind this approach, including weak state capacity, political patronage, and economic desperation in fragile contexts. It will analyse how integrating ex-militants into security frameworks impacts conflict dynamics, from the proliferation of arms to the resurgence of militant networks and the erosion of trust in formal institutions. Furthermore, it will connect these developments to broader challenges in peacebuilding and development, particularly in regions where resource control is contested. This paper highlights the paradoxical effects of these contracts: while they temporarily reduce oil theft and violence, they also entrench systemic inequities, incentivise political manipulation, and complicate efforts toward long-term conflict transformation. The paper critically evaluates this phenomenon and contributes to the broader discourse on how non-state actors and private security arrangements intersect with state legitimacy, governance, and international norms around peacebuilding and development. The Niger Delta case underscores the urgent need for holistic strategies that prioritize community-driven solutions, transparency, and sustainable development in conflict-prone regions.