The Nexus between Small Arms Proliferation and Kidnapping on Nigeria’s Security System

Abstract

The paper interrogates how the free flow and illegal stockpiling of small arms and light weapons enhanced armed kidnapping in Nigeria. It assesses the frequency and severity of armed kidnapping on Nigeria’s national security viz-a-viz identifies the susceptible factors that engrossed people in criminal activity. Though kidnapping is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria, it is an age-long predicament practiced for a purpose beyond financial gain. However, the new wave of armed kidnapping is a contagious profession where most unemployed youths get indoctrinated and are forced into a criminal cartel for economic reasons and financial gains. The paper dealt with the contending issues using the snowball sample technique with 50 respondents and buttressed the primary data with relevant journals and books through a desk review. The findings show that the effort of the government is not commensurate with the pain that armed kidnappers inflicted on victims and their families, and the designated punishment for perpetrators is peanuts. The criminally minded people are not only defying security measures but also making mockeries of the efforts of law enforcement agencies, as many security agents are also cooperators. The paper suggests that the government should end lip service to insecurity to uproot the stems of economic insecurity through the bottom-up approach. The government should shift away from the kinetics option to address the backbones of illicit acts in Nigeria, which are illegal armed deals and economic downtrodden. The paper is wrapped up with a rational choice theory that explains Nigeria’s insecurity from an individualistic approach.