Professional Competencies for Peace and Security Officers in Nigeria’s North East Stabilisation

This study identifies and evaluates the professional competencies required for peace and security officers engaged in stabilisation operations in Nigeria's North East geopolitical zone, specifically in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. The complex civilian-military stabilisation environment in the North East demands personnel equipped with specialised conflict management, cultural sensitivity, and community engagement skills beyond standard security training. Using a professional needs assessment research design, data were gathered through structured interviews with 35 active and former peace and security officers, humanitarian workers, and stabilisation programme managers, supplemented by competency framework analysis from UNDP and ECOWAS stabilisation guidelines applicable to Nigeria. The theoretical framework draws from professional competency theory and peace operations training frameworks. Findings indicate significant gaps in cultural and linguistic competency, trauma-informed engagement skills, and community conflict mediation capabilities among current peace and security officers in North East stabilisation roles. Existing training curricula are predominantly security-technical, with limited integration of peacebuilding, conflict transformation, or humanitarian principles. Recommendations include developing a Nigeria-specific North East stabilisation professional training curriculum incorporating conflict management competencies, instituting pre-deployment cultural orientation for officers assigned to North East duties, and establishing ongoing professional development pathways for peace and security personnel through accredited conflict studies programmes. Keywords: professional competencies, peace and security, stabilisation, North East Nigeria, conflict management.