An Assessment of Arms Proliferation and Control Mechanisms in Nigeria, 2010-2020

  • Eyina, Nkatomba Nkatomba Department of Political Science,Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuorlumeni, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
  • Kabari, John Baribor, Ph.D Florina Nigeria Ltd Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/ijie.v4i11.2382
Keywords: Arms, Proliferation, Control

Abstract

At independence in 1960, the Nigerian State was faced with challenges bordering on national integration and development. Though endowed with abundant human and natural resources, the goal of achieving overall national development through unity was truncated by consistent armed conflicts and criminality that has become part of the Nigerian State. Therefore, this study critically assessed arms proliferation and control in Nigeria from 2010-2020. The historical challenges and solutions of arms proliferation in Nigeria were reviewed and examined. The paper was guided by Radical Structural Conflict and Failed State Theories. The study was anchored on a qualitative method. The data were gathered through secondary sources, which were subjected to content analysis. The study identified porous borders, inefficient monitory mechanisms, saboteurs in the military, and poor working conditions of the security officials as the significant causes of arms proliferation in Nigeria. It was concluded that the accumulation of small arms and their diffusion into the larger society is both casual and symptomatic of the erosion of governance.  Therefore, the study recommended, among other things, intensive policing and efficient monitoring mechanisms of the Nigerian borders; identifying the saboteurs in the military and other security agencies; engaging the services/supports of Nigerian citizens; improvement of employment and working conditions of law enforcement agencies would help in curtailing the proliferation of arms in Nigeria.

References

1. Abdel-Fatau M. (2004). The political economy of small arms and conflicts http://unpaul.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/idep/unpan002406.pdf.2/2/2011.
2. Abiodun, T. (2016). An appraisal of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism Policy: The case of Boko Haram in Akinwunmi and Olaniyan (eds) Global Perspectives in Education: A Book in Honour of Late Prof. Mobolaji Ogunsanya, Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan: His Lineage Publishing House, Ibadan.
3. Akuul, T., & Shaibume, B. (2018). The spread of small guns and light weapons, as well as conflicts in Nigeria, have serious implications for national security. Journal of Social Sciences and Public Policy, 10(2), 1-20
4. Anyanwu, U. (2005). Failed States in Africa: The Nigerian case since 1960. American Politics and Development Studies (AJIPDS), 1(1).
5. Best, S. G. (2006). Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies in West Africa (ed.) Ibadan: Spectrum Books Ltd.
6. Chesterman, S. (2005). Making States Work; State Failure and the Crisis of Governance (ed.), Tokyo: United Nations University Press.
7. Chuma-Okoro, H. (2011). Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria: Legal Implications in Law and Security in Nigeria.
8. David, Chukwu. (2018). Senate to set up commission against illegal firearms’ New Telegraph of December 3, 2018, p. 30
9. Davis, S. & Dimieari V. K. (2005). The Current Stability and Future Prospects for Peace & Security in the Niger Delta. Niger Delta Peace and Security Working Papers
10. Diarra C. O. (2005). The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) As the Institutional Framework for Efforts to Combat the Proliferation of Arms in West Africa, Ayisi, A. and Sall, I: Hand Book for the Training of Armed and Security Forces; United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)ECOWAS Executive Secretariat 2006, Article 2, 1, 3, 1.
11. Edeko S. E. (2011). The proliferation of small arms and light weapons in africa: a case study of the niger delta in Nigeria. Sacha Journal of Environmental Studies, Volume 1(2), 55-80. https://paperzz.com/doc/6804210/55-the-proliferation-of-small-arms-and-light-weapons
12. Edwards, L., Sean, N, & Rachael, S. (2005). Controlling small arms and light weapons proliferation: the potential of the arms trade treaty. Carleton University.
13. Egbuta, U. (2019). The Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons. A Nexus to Asymmetric Threats in Nigeria. https://www.grin.com/document/461497
14. Harzen, J. & Horner, J. (2007). Small arms, armed violence, and insecurity: The Niger Delta in perspective. Occasional Paper No. 20 Geneva.
15. Ibrahim, S. l. (2005). Combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa. Handbook for the Training of Armed and Security Forces, UN 2005.
16. Imobighe T. (2003) Nigerian’s defence and national security linkages. Heinemann Educational Book Nigerian Plc.
17. Imobighe T.(1989). The OAU, African defence and security. Adena Publishers
18. Jekada, E. K. (2005), proliferation of small arms and ethnic conflicts in Nigeria: Implication for National Security, Dissertation for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations and Strategic Studies, St. Clements University.
19. Marx, K. & Engels, F. (1977). Manifesto of the communist party, 7th Edition. Progress.
20. Ndiaye, Ndioro (2008). Special comment. the complex dynamics of small arms in West Africa. United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, 4, 2008. P. 3
21. Ninalowo, A. (1996). The quest for democratization, military governance and trade unionism (ed.), University of Lagos: Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
22. Oji, R. O. & Okeke, V.O.S. (2014). The Nigerian State and the Proliferation Small Arm and Light Weapons in the Northern Part of Nigeria. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 4(1), 415-428.
23. Ojudu, B. (2007). Gun smuggling in the Niger Delta. World Press Review.
24. Okoro, V. U. (2007). The proliferation of small arms and light weapons in West Africa: Implications for subregional security. A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA471534.pdf
25. Onuoha, G. (2006). Contextualising the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria's Niger Delta. Africa Security Review, 15(2), 23-29
26. Osimen, G. & Akintunde, B. (2015),Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation: Problems of National Security in Nigeria. The Journal of Int‟l. Affairs and Global Strategy, 6(4), 21-28
27. Osman, T. (2010); Redefining security. Foreign Affairs 68, 2 (1989): 162-77. Norwegian Peace building Resource Centre (NOREF) Report, April 2013.
28. Rawls, J. (1971). Theory of social justice. Oxford University Press.
29. Renner M. (2006). Curbing the Proliferation of Small Arms‖ www.worldwatch.org/node/3738. Retrieved 14/11/2006.
30. Sagir, Musa (2013) ‘How al-Qaeda, Boko Haram smuggle arms into Nigeria,’ Vanguard, 11 May 2013.
31. Soetan, S. O. (2017). Proliferation of Arms and Security Challenges in Nigeria. International Journal of History and Cultural Studies (IJHCS), 3(3), 33-38.
32. Subrahmanyam, K. (1973). Our National Security, in Economic and The Vanguard Newspaper, 16 April, 2015 Political Weekly, Bombay.
33. Ter, A. F. & Selumun, T. (2018). The impact of arms proliferation on Nigeria’s national Security. International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS), 5(6), 199-194. https://www.ijiras.com/2018/Vol_5-Issue_6/paper_34.pdf
34. Weiss T. (2003). A Demand-Side Approach to Fighting Small Arms Proliferation,” Africa Security Review 12(2). www.crisisgroup.org.\
Published
2021-11-15
How to Cite
[1]
Nkatomba, E.N. and Kabari, John Baribor, Ph.D 2021. An Assessment of Arms Proliferation and Control Mechanisms in Nigeria, 2010-2020. International Journal on Integrated Education. 4, 11 (Nov. 2021), 93-103. DOI:https://doi.org/10.17605/ijie.v4i11.2382.
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 11 (2021): IJIE
Section
Articles

Copyright (c) 2021 Eyina, Nkatomba Nkatomba, Kabari, John Baribor, Ph.D

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In submitting the manuscript to the International Journal on Integrated Education (IJIE), the authors certify that:

  • They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
  • The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
  • That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
  • The publication has been approved by the author(s) and by responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
  • They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
  • They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.

License and Copyright Agreement

Authors who publish with International Journal on Integrated Education (IJIE) agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the International Journal on Integrated Education (IJIE) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the International Journal on Integrated Education (IJIE) published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.