Study of Illicit Small Arms Proliferation and Community Insecurity in Zamfara State

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Zamfara State has been identified as the primary enabler of the mass violence perpetrated by armed bandits who have displaced hundreds of thousands of rural residents and paralysed agricultural and commercial activity. This study examined small arms proliferation patterns and their relationship to community insecurity in Bungudu, Maru, and Tsafe Local Government Areas, Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. A qualitative survey design was employed, combining focus group discussions with eight displaced community groups, structured interviews with twelve security officials and four arms control researchers, and documentary review of seizure records from 2020 to 2023. Thematic analysis was applied. Results identified three primary arms supply routes: trans-border flows from Niger, Mali, and Libya through porous Sahara corridors (cited by 91.7 percent of informants), domestic diversion from security force stocks (58.3 percent), and local fabrication of rudimentary firearms (41.7 percent). Community insecurity manifestations included total evacuation of 47 documented communities in the study area between 2020 and 2023, complete suspension of market activities, and collapse of primary education in affected communities. Conventional law enforcement responses were rated as inadequate for the scale of arms availability. The study recommends regional arms control diplomacy, community weapons surrender programmes with economic incentives, and armed forces-led security restoration operations in Zamfara.

Keywords: small arms proliferation, Zamfara State, community insecurity, arms trafficking, North West Nigeria