 COERCIVE INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT

 By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

 Explain the meaning of coercive institutions.
 Mention the basic coercive institutions in Nigeria.
 State the functions of the coercive institutions in Nigeria.
 MEANING
 To coerce is to force someone to do something. Coercive institutions
give protection and security to the country by enforcing the law. They
can be called the coercive security apparatus of the State. They ensure
law and other in the society. These strong institutions include:
• The Military
• The Nigeria Police
• The State Security Service
• The Nigerian Civil Defense
• The Nigeria Customs Service
• The Nigeria Immigration Service
• The Nigeria Prison Service
• The Federal Road Safety Commission
• The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
• The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences
Commission

 1. THE MILITARY
The military is the major security strength of the country. It is made up
of the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. The military is an agency of
government authorized to use force usually including the use of
weapons in defending its country by combating actual or perceived
threats. The military protects the country against external aggression.
The military is divided into the army, navy and air force.
 The Army- The Nigerian Army originated from the Royal West Africa
Frontier Force (RWFF) that became Nigeria’s when the country was
granted independence in 1960. The legal backing of the Nigerian
 military forces is enshrined in Section 217 of the 1999 Constitution. The
Nigerian Army performs the following functions:
• Defence of the sovereignty of the country.
• Peace -keeping operation across the world.
• Professionalism and training of its officers.

 The Navy- The Nigerian Navy is the military formation of Nigeria which
defends the country on sea. The Nigerian Navy performs the following
functions:
• Anti-piracy
• Anti-smuggling
• Offshore Oil Protection

 The Air Force- On the 18th April, 1961, the Nigerian Air force was
formally established. The 1974 Air Force Act of the Nigerian Parliament
summarises the objectives of the NAF as follows:
 The Nigerian Air Force shall be charged with the defence of the federal
Republic by air, and to give effect thereto, the personnel shall be trained
in such duties as in the air as well as on the ground.
 Consequently, Nigerian air Force performs the following functions:
• Peace- keeping operations
• Production and maintenance of Aircraft
• Airlifting of military personnel and equipment

 The Nigeria Police

 Apart from the military formulations, the Nigeria Police is another
agency of the government that sees to security affairs of the country.
The Nigerian Police is generally believed to have been established in
1930 with its headquarters in Lagos. The police maintain internal
security of the country. The Nigeria Police performs the following
functions:
• Maintenance of laws and orders
• Protection of lives and property
 • Traffic control
• Prosecution
 THE STATE SECURITY SERVICE
 State Security Service (SSS) was established on June 5, 1986 by Decree
Number 19 of Nigeria which dissolved the National Security
Organisation. It is the primary federal government law enforcement
agency in Nigeria which is responsible for internal policing. SSS
performs the following functions:
• They are charged with the responsibility of protecting past and
present high ranking government officials and their immediate
families against any form of security threat.
• They protect visiting foreign Heads of State and government.
• They also protect and defend the Federal Republic of Nigeria
against domestic threats.
• They uphold and enforce the criminal laws of Nigeria.
• They also provide leadership and criminal justice services of both
federal and state law enforcement organs.

 THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION (EFCC)

 EFCC is charged with the responsibility of coordinating the various
institutions involved in the fight against money laundering and
enforcement of all laws dealing with economic and financial crimes
in Nigeria. The first Chairman of EFCC was Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.