AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENESIS, SOURCES, MANIFESTATIONS AND IMPACT OF SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS (SALW) IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Babayo Sule,Ibrahim Kawuley Mikail,Muhammad Aminu Yahaya

doi:10.32890/jis2020.16.12

Abstract

The protracted proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) across the globe to Africa and specifically in Northern Nigeria has led to the explosion of social crises which culminated in insecurity situation in the region for more than a decade now. Armed conflicts emanated from the effects of the spread of SALW across the three geopolitical zones in the North which manifested in the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, farmers-herders conflict in the Northcentral, armed banditry in the Northwest and ethnoreligious conflicts in addition to kidnappings in the region. The objective of this study is a critical and thorough investigation of the SALW in exacerbating armed conflicts in general in the Northern part of Nigeria. The problem is the scenario in which the armed conflicts are threatening to entirely destabilised the region and the manner in which the SALW are increasing despite the global efforts to contain their spread for security reasons. This research used a qualitative method of data collection and analysis. Both the primary and secondary sources were used. The primary source was the interview conducted with selected informants in the relevant area of study. The secondary source was the use of available literature on the subject matter of study and the discussions were made using thematic analytical interpretations. The research discovered that the rampant armed conflicts in Northern Nigeria is the reminiscent of the spread of SALW in the region which tantamount to the present critical security situation. Also, weak policy and political institutions contributed to the spread of SALW which means there is a need for a strong policy approach. The work recommends among other numerous suggestions that efforts should be intensified in intelligence gathering to detect the networking of the racketeers in the armed business and contain them appropriately as well as total blockage of the weapons’ route.

Highlights

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) are guns, smaller than usual bombs, impelled projectiles and rifles that are utilized for assaults and offensive violent clashes
Small Arms are weapons that can be worked by an individual, while Light Weapons are intended for an aggregate activity or joint use
The fourth category is international donor agencies that are operating in Northern Nigeria within the study area such as Save the Children, UNICEF and others, whereby four (4) informants were interviewed in this category based on proximity and accessibility by the researchers

Summary

Introduction

Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) are guns, smaller than usual bombs, impelled projectiles and rifles that are utilized for assaults and offensive violent clashes. The SALW are privately manufactured, and are imported from abroad. They are perceived as privately made incorporate bombs, projectiles and guns that are produced locally and are wrongfully held till today. The imported SALW includes rocket launchers, rocket frameworks, light assault rifles, guns and other related firearms. Small Arms are weapons that can be worked by an individual, while Light Weapons are intended for an aggregate activity or joint use. Light Weapons are more powerful and inconvenient than Small Arms (GIABA Report, 2013:12)

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