Insurgency is a ‘protracted political and military activity directed toward wholly or partially controlling the resources of a country using irregular military forces and illegal political organizations. From time immemorial, states around the world have experienced insurgency, causing a downturn in the wellbeing of citizens, physical assets and economic development. Thus, one primary responsibility of a state is the protection of its citizens against external aggression, and internal violence and disturbances. However, in Nigeria, as in many African States, as violence erupts and the security situation worsens, governments often rely on deploying the military to enforce orderliness and the return of peace. This is largely because the police are unable to contain violent conflicts, especially where the security of the citizenry is threatened by armed groups. Consequently, the government is often compelled to use the military in an internal role as it is the only state organ with the requisite coercive capacity to suppress violence, disorderliness or insurgency. The ability to contain such violence is a challenge facing many African states in the 21st century. This is especially true where the conflicts escalate, and plunge the country into a state of internal warfare and some of the causes of these violent conflicts in some parts of Nigeria, especially Northeast can be ascribed to numerous factors such as; government failure to deliver basic public goods, grievances arising from the marginalization of minority ethnic groups, and the inability of the citizenry to gain access to economic, political, or social privileges in society. Typically, these situations are exploited by armed groups, a majority of which are driven by political motives, economic intent, and extremist religious ideologies. Thus, the proliferation of these armed groups in their various forms is currently occupying a critical position in international politics and security sector reforms in this 21st century. The methodology used in this study was a desk-based library method where the knowledge gained from various literatures as well as conceptual, theoretical, and empirical studies reviewed formed the basis for conclusion and recommendations. The paper, recommends that for insurgency of this nature to be addressed, need for exploration and utilization of non-traditional or non-military approach such as negotiation, ideological perception, social justice, and equitable distribution of national wealth among all classes in the country are needed.