v. Shall perform such military duties within or outside Nigeria as may be required of them by or under the authority of this or any other Act
Section 25 of the Nigeria Police Regulations provides for the establishment of aPolice Mobile Force, which is to be maintained as a police striking force in the eventof riots or other serious disturbances occurring within the federation
.Other actors within the security sector framework in a contemporary democraticsociety also include the courts, prisons (for the purpose of Nigeria), Nigeria Securityand Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and civil society groups. These critical actors havea place in a defining, shaping and contributing to the security architecture of thecountry because the concept of national security has broadened since the end of the cold war beyond the narrow military conception to include human securitywhich combines elements of defence, economic and basic human rights (Ball, Nicole& Fayemi, Kayode 2004)
. The FoIA provides a wide range of information that cannot be disclosed by publicinstitutions and these ranges of exceptions are clearly stated in sections 11, 12, 14,15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. Section 11(1) of the FoIA restricts disclosure of informationthat ‘may be injurious to the conduct of international affair and the defence of theFederal Republic of Nigeria’. The FoIA like other legal instruments / policyinstruments referred to earlier does not give a concise definition of whatconstitutes ‘national security’ and therefore leaves the definition to discretion of whom is defining (depending on the person’s school of thoughts).It however provides the terms for consideration in granting the public access forrelease of the otherwise restricted information. For example, Section 12 (1) (v)provides that information which could constitute an invasion of personal privacyshould not be released; Section 15 of the Act states that an information can bedisclosed where
the interest of the public
would be better served by havingsuch record being made available
. The ‘public interest’ exemption providesopportunity for disclosure of otherwise restricted information. The insecurity situation in the country has made Nigerians more interested in issuesrelating to security. For example, it would not be strange to have citizens discussingbudget allocation to security and law enforcement agencies, rules of engagement of security operatives in the northern part of the country, operational strategy orprocedure of JTF and other security agencies, equipments purchased, watch withkeen interest parliamentary debates or discussions in respect of Baga (or any
2
Police Act, Cap 359 Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004
3
Ibid
4
This was confirmed by an anonymous source in the office of the National Security Adviser.He stated that there are ongoing discussions of expanding the definition of national securityin Nigeria because of the presumed threats that are affecting the country.
3