CHAPTER ONE 

1.0 INTRODUCTION 

National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the 

state through the use of economic, security operatives especially 

police, political power and the exercise of diplomacy. The concept 

developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II 

focusing on the police and military might. Now, it encompasses a 

broad range of facets, all of which impinge on the police and military 

for economic security of the nation, lives property and values 

protected by national society. Accordingly, in order to possess 

national security, a nation needs to possess economic security, 

energy security, environmental security, etc. Security threats involve 

not only conventional foes such as other national states but also non

state actors such as violent non-state actors, narcotic cartels, 

multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations; 

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some authorities include natural disasters and events causing severe 

environmental change in this category. 

The origin of the modern concept of “national security” as a 

philosophy of maintaining a stable nation state can be traced to the 

peace of Westphalia, wherein the concept of a sovereign state, ruled 

by a sovereign, became the basis of a new international order of 

nation states. 

As an academic concept, national security can be seen as a recent 

phenomenon which was first introduced in the United States after 

World War II, and has to some degree replaced other concepts that 

describe the struggle of states to overcome various external and 

internal threats. The struggle of states to overcome various external 

and internal threats. The earliest mention of the term national 

security, however, was made in Yale University in 1790 wherein was 

made to its relation with domestic industries. 

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The concept of the national security became an official guiding 

principle of foreign policy in the United States when the National 

security Act of 1947 was signed on July 26, 1947 by the U.S. 

President Harry S. Truman. Together with its 1949 amendment, this 

act create American national security d important facets for American  

national security as the precursor to the department of defense, 

subordinated the security operatives branches to the new cabinet 

level position of the secretary of defense, established the National 

Security council and the Central Intelligence Agency. The Act did not 

define national security which was conceivably advantageous as it’s 

ambiguity made it a powerful phrase to invoke whenever issues 

threatened by other interests of the state, such as domestic 

concerns, came up for discussion and decision making. 

The realization that national security encompasses more than just 

security was present though understated, from the beginning itself. 

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The US National Security Act of 1947 was set up “to advise the 

president on the integration of domestic security and foreign policies 

related to national security”. 

Gen Maxwell Taylor’s essay of 1947 titled “The Legitimate claims of 

National Security” has this to say; 

The national valuables in this broad sense include current ass ets and 

national interests, as well as the sources of strength upon which our 

future as a nation depends. Some valuables are tangible and earthly; 

others are spiritual or intellectual. They range widely from political 

a s s e t s s u c h a s t h e Bill o f Rig h t s , N a t io n al S e c u rit y a n d p olitic al 

in s tit u tio n s a n d in t e r n a tio n al r ela tio n s t o m a n y e c o n o mic a s s e t s 

which radiate worldwide from a highly productive domestic economy 

supported by rich natural resources. It is the urgent need to protect 

valuables such as these wh ich legitimizes and makes essential the 

role of national security. 

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1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 

Security information system has always played a vital role in the 

stability of a nation. Keeping security information manually can 

hinder some defense program and delay passage of security 

information to the appropriate body. Manual documentation of 

security information can lead to exposure of the information thereby 

creating threat to the nation at large. Hence, there is need for an 

automated security information system to guaranty safety of 

information. 

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 

The general objective of the study is to develop a database for 

security information storage and retrieval. 

Specifically, the following objectives are also considered: 

i. To build a database system for police security information. 

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ii. To develop a software for managing security information. 

iii. To determine the effectiveness of Nigerian police in managing 

signal. 

1.3 DEFINITION OF TERMS/VARIABLES  

Policing: Policing is another way of depicting the police. 

Anti-policing: Anti-policing is the society’s social attitude opposed 

to war between states and in particular countering arguments based 

on policism. 

Databases: A systematically arranged collection of computer data, 

structured so that it can be automatically retrieved or manipulated. It 

is also called a databank. 

National Security: The requirement to maintain the survival of the 

nation-state through the use of economic, policing, and political 

power and the exercise of diplomacy. 

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