The Proliferation of Small Arms And Light Weapons

One of the major threats bedeviling Nigeria’s national security in the 21st century is small arms and light weapons proliferation. Readily available and easy to use. Small arms and light weapons have been the sole tool of violence in almost all conflicts and criminal operations in Nigeria. These weapons have taken a heavy toll on human lives, women and children accounting for more of the casualties. This book traced the history of arms proliferation in Nigeria and identified the enabling sources; the demands and supply of small arms and light weapons; it examined the connection of small arms and light weapons proliferation with violent crimes in Nigeria; it revealed that Nigeria continues to rely on the firearms Act of 1959, which is overstretched with the security challenges of 21st century. However, the book concluded that the supply and demand factors of SALWs are interwoven, addressing one without the other will disproportionately exacerbate the fight on security challenges; thus proffered stringent national arms control strategy to regulate SALW proliferation.