Cloud seeding as a non-kinetic counterterrorism tool: A framework for national security and food security in Nigeria

This study interrogates the underexplored nexus between cloud seeding technology and national security in Nigeria, with specific objectives to examine its influence on food security and assess its linkages to counterterrorism. Employing a qualitative research design, the investigation synthesizes evidence from global literature, peer-reviewed journals, and historical case studies to construct a theoretical framework grounded in Techno-Political Theory and Human Security paradigms. The findings reveal that cloud seeding can stabilise crop yields and rejuvenate grazing reserves, thereby addressing the root causes of livelihood failure and resource conflict that fuel grievances and recruitment by non-state armed groups; BokoHaram, ISWAPS, Lakurawa and Mahmuda, in Nigeria’s vulnerable agro-pastoral zones. Secondly, study establishes indirect counterterrorism linkages by potentially enhancing state legitimacy through service delivery and, when ethically applied within international law, serving as a non-kinetic force multiplier for tactical disruption. The study concludes that while cloud seeding is not a panacea, it represents a strategic techno-political instrument capable of shrinking the conflict ecosystem. To translate this potential into policy, the study advances targeted recommendations. First, it recommends that the Nigeria Defence Headquarters and Northern Regional Development Commissions, in partnership with State governments and international agencies, initiate a phased, evidence-based pilot program. This must begin with vulnerability mapping in conflict-prone zones and invest in building core domestic capacity, including the training of meteorologists, NSCDC Agro Rangers, and pilots in cloud seeding operations. Second, it recommends that the Office of the National Security Adviser institutionalise coordination between technical agencies (NiMet), agricultural ministries, and security councils including theatre commands and NSCDC Agro Ranger Commands. This is to formally incorporate cloud seeding into Nigeria’s non-kinetic lines of operation within national counterterrorism frameworks.