About
Ifeanyichukwu Charles Nweke is a Security Studies Scholar at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University, whose work bridges securitisation theory, postcolonial theory, and security governance in postcolonial Africa through immersive ethnographic fieldwork.His dissertation, Àmọ̀tẹ́kùn As Colonial Afterlife: How Colonial Legacies Shape Security Politics, Conflict and Governance in Southwest Nigeria, examines colonial continuities in Nigerian security politics using novel data from the Amotekun court and interviews across Southwest Nigeria. The work combines empirical depth with theoretical innovation — most notably “internalised securitisation,” which theorises securitised groups’ pragmatic agency under structural constraints, using Miyetti Allah’s internal security practices as its empirical anchor, thereby resolving the so-called “silencing problem” in securitisation theory.The concept has been cited in BusinessDay Nigeria and is directly relevant to U.S. Congressional Resolution H.Res. 860 and the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 (Bill H.R. 7457), which address Nigerian insecurity and proposed sanctions against Miyetti Allah groups. This work advances his broader project of building an alternative framework for understanding threat, order, and security rooted in colonial experience. His research appears in Critical Studies on Security; he holds the International Studies Association (ISA) Dissertation Completion Fellowship.Originally from Nteje, Nigeria, Nweke is based in The Hague. He holds an MSc in International Development from Wageningen University & Research, an MBA from Aston Business School, and a BSc in Anthropology/Sociology from Nnamdi Azikiwe University.
Summary
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Current Location
The Hague, Netherlands
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Education
Wageningen University & Research: MSc - International Development
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Aston Business School, Aston University: Master of Business Administration (MBA)
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Nnamdi Azikiwe University: BSc - Sociology/Anthropology
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Interests
Traveling, Reading, Writing, Research
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Email
hello@charlesnweke.com, c.i.nweke@fgga.leidenuniv.nl