Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria has crossed into a perilous new phase of insecurity — not just because of terror groups or bandits, but because there’s a glut of illegal guns flooding the country. These weapons have become the fuel for kidnapping, insurgency, mass shootings, cult violence and more. If we don’t confront this arms crisis now, the state’s grip on legitimacy could unravel.
A Deadly Surge in Violence
While the headlines focus on the latest school attack, the deeper problem lies in how these weapons enter and spread across our communities with impunity.
In recent days alone, Nigeria has witnessed a string of terrifying events: the abduction of over 300 people (mainly students) from St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State. There was an earlier attack in Kebbi State, where 24 students and a vice-principal were kidnapped. Terrorists also struck a Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara State, killing worshippers, and abducted a priest in Kaduna State. Meanwhile, reports from Niger State added more community-level attacks.
Beyond abductions, the violence is bleeding into military ranks. Just this month, a Brigadier General, Musa Uba, was killed during operations in Borno State. Attacks on rural farm settlements in Enugu State and targeted killings across the South-East underscore how ungoverned many parts of Nigeria now are.
This isn’t just chaos — it’s a breakdown of basic security. And it’s all happening amid an arms glut that no one seems capable of containing.
The Scale of the Arms Problem
The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), under retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, has repeatedly warned that weak armoury management in the military and police is enabling arms leakage into criminal hands. Weapons are coming out of state stockpiles and flowing into the hands of insurgents, bandits, and vigilantes. Kokumo has explicitly called out corruption in security institutions and poor weapons tracking as major culprits.
In a symbolic but sobering move, the NCCSALW recently held its fifth national arms destruction exercise, destroying 1,316 illicit and obsolete weapons. Kokumo said this brought the total destroyed since 2021 to over 13,230.
These numbers show the government is trying — but the volume of weapons lost to illegal circulation far outpaces what’s being destroyed.
Legal Reform: A Step, Not the Finish Line
Good news: President Bola Tinubu signed the “Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act” in June 2024, giving NCCSALW stronger legal teeth to regulate weapons, trace them, and prosecute traffickers.
But law alone isn’t enough. The decades-old Firearms Act of 1959 was weak, with outdated penalties, poor regulation of dealers, and no mechanisms for tracing weapons or managing community-level actors. Even with the new SALW Act, serious enforcement gaps remain, especially at porous borders and corrupt armouries.
Why the Crisis Won’t Stop Unless We Get Real
Here’s where it stings: the arms crisis is not just a security challenge; it’s a symptom of failed governance. Poverty, youth unemployment, inequality — these are the root rot. When people feel abandoned, they reach for weapons. When local leaders remain silent, guns fill the vacuum.
Kokumo doesn’t mince words: our security agencies are leaking weapons. He says “no geopolitical zone is spared” from arms proliferation. Political will is weak. Too many promises. Too little action. And the result? Our countryside is arming itself, not waiting for the state to protect it.
At the same time, institutions meant to control arms are grossly under-resourced. Border patrols are weak, enforcement is sporadic, and accountability is minimal. Civil society reports show that smugglers take advantage of porous borders to funnel in high-powered weapons.
What Must Be Done — Now
- Institutional reform must go beyond throwing bombs at traffickers. Armouries must be audited, stockpiles secured, and corrupt custodians held accountable.
- Real enforcement of the SALW Act — Trace, prosecute, and destroy. Weapons must never return to circulation.
- Socio-economic fixes — Reduce desperation. Invest in youth, create jobs, and undercut criminal incentives.
- Dialogue and reconciliation — Governors, local leaders, traditional rulers: stop playing politics and actively rebuild trust in communities.
- Regional cooperation — Strengthen cross-border intelligence and work with neighbouring states like Chad and Cameroon to choke smuggling routes.
The Stakes Are Too High
The uncontrolled proliferation of small arms threatens not just lives — it threatens the very legitimacy of the Nigerian state. If citizens can no longer rely on their government for protection, they will turn to weapons, and that’s when the social contract collapses.
This is not a plea — it is a demand for decisive action. The scale of this crisis calls for bold, coordinated responses. The clock is ticking.