ABSTRACT
The tremendous transformations that have occurred since Nigeria's independence in 1960 raise the question: can traditional authorities be as effective in the context of the new security challenges that are demonstrably different from the challenges in the past? This chapter addresses this question with a historical analysis of four traditional polities in Plateau State, namely: Wase and Kanam emirates, Ponzhi Tarok, and Gbong Gwom Jos. The basic argument is that, in the past, these traditional rulers used to have the official capacity for maintaining local security, law, and order because they oversaw the machinery of government in their jurisdictions. But even after the local government reform of 1976 reduced them to advisory roles, traditional rulers continued to participate in maintaining security in their local domains by exercising their influence and their intimate knowledge of their communities. If traditional rulers are to be part of a new security strategy in Nigeria, it is important to recognize the limits of what the traditional rulers can and cannot do. Particularly important constraints include their lack of control of the machinery of government; and the historical antecedents in the narratives of historical grievances that have made the traditional rulers a part of the issues in contention that have occasionally erupted into violent conflict.
