URBANIZATION, DEVELOPMENT CONTROL, AND INSECURITY IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Urbanization and the dynamics of development control in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have increasingly become subjects of concern, particularly in relation to the rising levels of insecurity within the Territory. As the administrative and political seat of Nigeria, Abuja attracts a diverse population seeking economic, political, and social opportunities. This rapid influx has, however, outpaced the available infrastructure and stretched the capacity of planning authorities to enforce effective development control. This paper examines the intricate link between urbanization and insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Two specific research objectives were formulated to guide the study: first, to identify the factors that influence urbanization in Abuja, and second, to examine the manner in which these factors contribute to insecurity within the Territory.  Adopting a library-based methodology, the study drew on secondary sources and applied the Frustration–Aggression Theory to explain how unmet socio-economic expectations translate into insecurity. Findings revealed that drivers of urbanization such as economic opportunities, administrative centrality, and infrastructural expansion also fuel insecurity through unregulated settlements, unemployment, and weak enforcement of planning regulations. The study concludes that effective development control measures must be strengthened to prevent indiscriminate settlements. In addition, the opening of more districts to absorb population growth, prosecution of offenders who contravene planning regulations, provision of employment opportunities for the teeming youth population, and adequate logistical support to Law Enforcement agencies are pivotal to achieving orderly urban growth and reducing insecurity in the FCT.