Abstract

Public health emergencies increasingly pose non-traditional security threats with significant implications for internal security, particularly in fragile socio-economic contexts. This study investigates Lassa Fever health emergency and internal security in Ondo State, Nigeria, a recurrent epicenter of Lassa Fever outbreaks using a descriptive and explanatory research design based on secondary data that combine epidemiological data and security incident reports. Also, the study is anchored on four complementary theoretical perspectives, namely: Human Security Theory, Non-Traditional Security Theory, State Capacity Theory, and the Political Economy of Health, to explain how public health emergencies such as Lassa fever intersect with internal security dynamics. The study analyses how recurrent outbreaks have influenced public order, community safety, and state security operations. Findings reveal that the Lassa Fever emergency exacerbated internal security challenges through heightened public anxiety, misinformation, stigmatization of affected communities, disruption of livelihoods, and overstretching of security agencies tasked with enforcing containment measures. The study argues that Lassa Fever in Ondo State transcends a purely biomedical concern and constitutes a human security issue with direct implications for internal security governance. The study concludes by recommending the institutionalization of health security coordination frameworks, community-based risk communication strategies, adoption of one health approach, and strengthened state capacity for emergency preparedness as critical measures for mitigating the security impacts of future public health emergencies.