Arms Proliferation and Banditry in Northwest Nigeria: Implications for National Security

Abstract

Arms Proliferation and banditry have become a harsh reality in northwest geopolitical zones, it has come in different forms, manifesting as insurgency, kidnapping, suicide attacks, self-suicide bombing, corruption, armed robbery and the like and  poses a serious threat not only to the Internal Security of the Zone  but to the National Security in view of its implications. The level at which arms proliferation and banditry thrive within the zone needs to be given its rightful attention by both the Federal and the State governments. It has led to general and complex social violence and insecurity in the zone for almost a decade. There occurs, destruction of lives and properties, displacement of people from their communities; and a growing numbers of widows; widowers and orphan children, mostly in camps where IDPs reside following armed bandits’ continued attacks on both farming and pastoral communities across different areas of the zone. It was based on this background that, this study was carried out in order to assess the impact of arms proliferation and banditry on the national Security of Nigeria. The study adopted Frustration-aggression Theory as its analytical framework. Moreover, the study adopted secondary source of data as the main sources of data collection while content analysis was used in analyzing the data generated. The study revealed the factors responsible for arms proliferation and banditry in the northwest, viz; Struggle for political power, massive unemployment and Poverty, excessive militarization, Injustice by traditional fathers, Drug abuse, Vulnerability,  Disperse settlement, Huge financial benefits, Proliferation of fire arms, Poor nature of security at the border. The study recommends, among other things, adoption of Conflict Resolution Mechanism and Amnesty as well as Socio-economic policies that would lead to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the affected communities in the zone.