By Zagazola Makama
Large quantities of fuel and other supplies were being loaded from Nigeria’s border in Kebbi State to Dolé Kaina village in Tounouga community and Sabon Birni in Gaya (DOSSO) in Niger Republic on a routine basis
Dole-Kaina, is a border town between Nigeria and Niger Republic runs through one half of the town in Kebbi State of Nigeria, while the other falls into Dosso State of Niger as well as Benin Republic.
Terrorists Marchants secretly transport large quantities of Fuel, ammunition, and other logistics to terrorist groups in the Sahel and West African region through these routes. Sometimes, they passed through Benin Republic to get to Kompienga, one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, located in its East Region to supply other terrorist groups.
The Bandit in the North West also used the same route to transport arms and ammunitions into Nigeria, which they used to aid their campaign of terror.
One of the challenges confronting Nigeria today is the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. This problem is more pronounced in developing countries where there are porous borders and weak institutions responsible for border security like Nigeria.
The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in the country is a progressively complex and multifaceted phenomenon that affects people and insecurity.
The destabilizing accumulation and uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons by the terrorists groups has increased the intensity and duration of conflict, undermines the sustainability of peace, impedes the success of peace building, frustrates efforts aimed at the prevention of the conflict and hinders considerably the provision of humanitarian assistance in the affected areas.
Recommendation: There is a need for an improved border management mechanism using modern and sophisticated detection equipment to discourage arms trafficking through border communities in Nigeria.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region
