Arms Production and Proliferation as a Major Threat to Nigeria's National Security: A Comparative Regional Analysis

Abstract

The production and proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) constitute a major threat to Nigeria's national and human security architecture. While formal arms manufacturing remains limited, Nigeria is a conduit for illicit arms due to porous borders, weak regulation, local craft production, and transnational criminal networks. This research examines arms through a comparative regional analysis of Nigeria's major conflict zones, focusing on insurgency in the Northeast, banditry in the Northwest, farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central region, separatist violence in the Southeast, and militancy in the Niger Delta. The findings reveal that arms proliferation in Nigeria is driven by a combination of economic deprivation, institutional failure, corruption, and regional insecurity dynamics. The paper highlights that arms proliferation is not merely a security problem but a governance and development crisis in all regions. The method involves contacting texts, relevant journals, and security and state fragility frameworks to explain how arms availability undermines the state monopoly of violence, escalates communal conflicts, weakens law enforcement, and sustains criminal economics in Nigeria. The paper concludes that without comprehensive arms control, regional cooperation, community-based disarmament, and institutional reform, Nigeria's security challenges will persist. The paper recommends a multidimensional approach integrating border management, arms regulation, livelihood alternatives, and strengthened accountability mechanisms.