THE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF SMALL AND LIGHT WEAPON USAGE: A STUDY OF AWKA ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons is one of the major security challenges currently facing Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world in general. The trafficking and wide availability of these weapons fuel communal conflict, political instability and pose a threat, not only to national security, but also to sustainable development. The lack of control of small arms usage is contributing to alarming levels of armed crime, and militancy. Therefore, the trust of this project dwell on scanning the role of government and policy makers, in checking the control and management of SALW in Nigeria and to ascertain the level of insecurity this menace had incurred in the Nigerian state. It was revealed that inability of the Nigeria government and the law enforcement agencies to check the supply and the demand factors of the proliferation of SALW in Nigeria has heightened and worsened the security situations in parts of the country. The project further asserts that availability of small arms have direct influence on the escalation and sustenance of insecurity and therefore, drew a conclusion on the basis of which the recommendations were made.