Multilateral Arms Control, Weapons Proliferation, and Nigeria’s Disarmament Diplomacy in West Africa

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) across West Africa remains one of the region's most destabilizing security phenomena, fueling insurgencies, communal conflicts, and transnational criminal networks. Nigeria, as the region's most populous and influential state, bears a central responsibility in multilateral disarmament efforts, particularly through its engagement with the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms, the Arms Trade Treaty, and various bilateral security cooperation arrangements. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Nigeria's disarmament diplomacy in the West African regional context, drawing on perspectives from international relations scholars and security researchers at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A qualitative research design is adopted, combining analysis of multilateral treaty documents, ECOWAS disarmament mechanism evaluations, and interviews with UNN security studies faculty and officials at Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs disarmament division. Arms control theory and regional security complex theory frame the analysis. Findings indicate that Nigeria has demonstrated strong rhetorical commitment to multilateral disarmament norms; however, implementation gaps, porous border management, and inadequate stockpile security protocols undermine these commitments in practice. Regional cooperation through ECOWAS has produced incremental gains in SALW tracing and marking but falls short of the ambitious disarmament benchmarks set in regional frameworks. The study argues for a recalibrated Nigerian disarmament strategy that prioritizes operational cooperation, cross-border intelligence sharing, and community-level weapon collection programs. Keywords: arms control, small arms proliferation, disarmament diplomacy, Nigeria, West Africa