A Legal Inquiry into the Proliferation and Control of Small Arms in Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.06Keywords:
Small arms, violent crimes, religious fundamentalism, ethnic militias, police powers, proliferation, economic empowerment, Firearms Act, Firearms Regulations, lethalityAbstract
The continual state of insecurity in Nigeria for several decades can be traced to a number of factors, including ethnic militias and religious fundamentalism. This article examines the extent to which such retrogressive phenomena are caused or fuelled by the proliferation of small arms in Nigeria. It examines the legal regime on small arms, non-legal but relevant societal issues and police powers as they concern the control of small arms proliferation in Nigeria. It argues that the extant legal regime is not robust enough to support any sustainable progress in this area. Also, it concludes that apart from a critical police overhaul and necessary municipal legislative action as influenced by international legal developments, practical policies and economic empowerment must be in place with a view to attaining sustainable development in the area of small arms control.References
Statutes
Criminal Code Act of 1916 Chapter C38, LFN 2004
Criminal Procedure Act of 1945 Chapter C41, LFN 2004
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004
Firearms Act of 1958 Chapter F28, LFN, 2004
Firearms Regulations of 1958 Chapter F28, LFN, 2004
Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions Act) of 1984, Chapter R11, LFN 2004
Firearms Law (Guidance to the Police 2002) UK
Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act of 1997 UK
Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012
Police Act of 1943(Subsidiary Legislation), Chapter P19, LFN 2004
United Nations Firearms Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components (supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime of 2001).
Violent Act Reduction Act 2006 UK
Cases
Aigbadon v State [2000] 7 NWLR (Pt 666) 686
Boro v Republic [1966] 1 All NLR 266
Cafferata v Wilson [1936] 3 All ER 149
Debbie v The State S.C 103/2005, delivered on 9 March 2007
Enahoro v R [1965] 1 All NLR 125
Ezefor v Okeke [2000] 7NWLR (Pt 665) 513
Fawenhinmi v IGP [2002] 7NWLR (Pt 665) 522
Grace v DPP (1989) Crim. LR 365
Ikemson & Ors v State [1989] 3NWLR (Pt 110) 455 at 477
Moore v Gooderham [1960] 3 All E.R. 575
Nwachukwu v State [1985] 3NWLR (Pt 11) 218 at 225
Nwachukwu v State [1986] 2NWLR (Pt 25) 765
Okeji v Olokoba [2000] 4NWLR (Pt 654) 513
Olatunji v State [2003] 14 NWLR (Pt. 839) 138 at pp 165-166
R v Okoye [1950] 19NLR 103
R v Singh (1989) Crim. L.R. 724
R v Thorpe [1987] 85 Cr. App. Rep. 107
State v Anini and Ors (unreported) Charge No. RFT/13/1/87
Tanko v State [2009] 4NWLR (Pt 1131) 430 at 453
The Queen v Nwaogwugwu [1962] 1All NLR 294
Totor v Aweh [2000] 2NWLR (Pt 644) 309
Books and Journal Articles
Adinkrah, KO. 1986. Arresting armed robbery with arms: the case for freer access to guns in Nigeria. The Nigerian Law Journal. 13 (1): 71.
Alemika, Etannibi EO. and Chukwuma, Innocent C. (eds). 2004. Crime and Policing in Nigeria: Challenges and Options, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria. Retrieved from http://www.cleen.org/CRIME%20AND%20POLICING%20IN%20NIGERIA.pdf at p 10 (accessed January 19, 2014).
Amadi, GOS. 2000. Police Powers in Nigeria. Enugu: Afro-Obis Publications Ltd: 166, 148.
Asogwah, Frank I and Okoli, Pontian N. 2008. Economic Crimes and National Development Enugu: Institute for Development Studies: 241.
Atta, Aliyu I. 1997. Service at Kam Salem House: My Years as Inspector-General of Police. Lagos: Blowsome Ventures Limited:96.
Fapohunda, Tinuke M., Atiku, Sulaiman Olusegun and Lawal, Ibrahim Olarenwaju. 2012. Minimum wage implementation in a post-recession economy: the Nigerian experience. European Scientific Journal 8(7): 20.
Nwabueze, BO. 1993. Military Rule and Social Justice in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum Law Publishing.
Ojudu, Babafemi. 2004. Gun Smuggling in the Niger Delta World Press Review, November 16. Retrieved from http://www.worldpress.org/cover7.htm (last accessed January 15, 2014).
Open Society Institute. 2010. Criminal Force: Torture, Abuse and Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigeria Police Force.) —a publication by the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria and the Open Society Institute. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4cbc44742.pdf (accessed January 16, 2014).
Ormerod, David 2011 Smith and Hogan’s Criminal Law, 13th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 412.
Otubu, Akintunde Kabir and Coker, Sunday A. 2008. Police and Crime Prevention in Nigeria . Police Discretion: State Practices. Raadhakalyani, K. (ed) Amicus Books Icfai University Press India.
Oyebode, Akin. 2012. Legal Responses to the Boko Haram Challenge: An Assessment of Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011. Paper delivered at the Oxford Round Table, held at Harris Manchester College, the University of Oxford, England, July 22-26.
Ryan, Jordan. 2012. As the UN’s small arms review conference ends, what is needed to reduce violence? Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourperspective/ourperspectivearticles/2012/09/10/as-the-un-s-small-arms-review-conference-ends-what-is-needed-to-reduce-violence-jordan-ryan.html (accessed January 13, 2014).
Vines, Alex. 2005. Combating Light Weapons Proliferation in West Africa. International Affairs 81(2): 358, Retrieved from http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/International%20Affairs/2005/inta_454.pdf (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2005.00454.x
Wakil, B. National Arms Production Capacity of Nigeria. 2005. Retrieved from http://www.poa-iss.org/CASACountryProfile/ OtherDocument/61@InvRpt_Nigeria.pdf at p 54 (accessed January 29, 2013).
Newspapers and Magazines
2013. Sunday Sun. February 4 (Lagos), p1.
2005. The Guardian. June 23 (Lagos), p1.
2013. TELL Magazine. January 7 (Lagos), pp 50-51.
2013. This Day Newspaper. January 28 (Lagos), p 8.
2005. Vanguard. May 20, 2005 (Lagos), p 1.
2005. The Guardian. January 23 (Lagos), p 21.
2013. Sunday Sun. February 4 (Lagos), p1.
2005. The Guardian. June 23 (Lagos), p1.
Websites
mdtf.undp.org/document/download/4666 (accessed January 15, 2014).
http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/archive/documents/FirearmsLaw. pdf (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/firearms/ (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://www.un.org/events/smallarms2006/faq.html (accessed January 13, 2014).
http://www.maginternational.org/news/reducing-the-threat-of-small-arms-and-light-weapons/ (accessed January 29, 2013).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20730717 (accessed January 15, 2014).
http://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/SALW/ (accessed January 13 2014).
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2012/09/07/preventing-illegal-flow-of-guns-is-key-to-reducing-poverty-/ (accessed January 14 2014).
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=19206 (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/police-interrogate-human-rights-chief (accessed January 28, 2013).
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-advises-mend-not-to-resort-to-violence-over-okah/137673/.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20725677 (accessed January 20, 2014).
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/16/nigeria-police-want-to-interrogate-rights-leader/ (accessed January 20, 2014).
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/outrage-grows-over-kuku-dokubos-threats/147047/ (accessed January 10, 2014).
http://www.poa-iss.org/CASACountryProfile/OtherDocument/61@Inv Rpt_Nigeria.pdf (accessed January 29, 2013).
http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-12-c&chapter=18&lang=en (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://natforce-ng.org/news-lagos%20operations.htm (accessed January 12, 2014)
http://www.tellng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1786:how-illegal-arms-threaten-nigeria%E2%80%99s-unity (accessed January 13, 2014).
http://m.news24.com/nigeria/National/News/54-per-cent-of-Nigerian-youth-unemployed-official-20131218 (accessed January 23, 2014).
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nigerian_court_charges_Iranian_over_arms_cache_999.html (accessed January 29, 2014).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-20611395 (accessed January 17, 2014).
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4cbc44742.pdf (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://www.cleen.org/CRIME%20AND%20POLICING%20IN%20NIGERIA.pdf (accessed January 19, 2014).
http://www.nigeriapolice.org (accessed January 29, 2013).
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=19206 (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7056245.stm (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://m.news24.com/nigeria/National/News/54-per-cent-of-Nigerian-youth-unemployed-official-20131218 (accessed January 23, 2014).
https://www.google.co.uk/#q=https:%2F%2Fwww.amnesty.org%2Fen%2Fnews%2Fnigeria-becomes-first-african-nation-ratify-a++rms-trade-treaty-2013-08-14 (accessed January 13, 2014).
Criminal Code Act of 1916 Chapter C38, LFN 2004
Criminal Procedure Act of 1945 Chapter C41, LFN 2004
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004
Firearms Act of 1958 Chapter F28, LFN, 2004
Firearms Regulations of 1958 Chapter F28, LFN, 2004
Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions Act) of 1984, Chapter R11, LFN 2004
Firearms Law (Guidance to the Police 2002) UK
Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act of 1997 UK
Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012
Police Act of 1943(Subsidiary Legislation), Chapter P19, LFN 2004
United Nations Firearms Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components (supplementing the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime of 2001).
Violent Act Reduction Act 2006 UK
Cases
Aigbadon v State [2000] 7 NWLR (Pt 666) 686
Boro v Republic [1966] 1 All NLR 266
Cafferata v Wilson [1936] 3 All ER 149
Debbie v The State S.C 103/2005, delivered on 9 March 2007
Enahoro v R [1965] 1 All NLR 125
Ezefor v Okeke [2000] 7NWLR (Pt 665) 513
Fawenhinmi v IGP [2002] 7NWLR (Pt 665) 522
Grace v DPP (1989) Crim. LR 365
Ikemson & Ors v State [1989] 3NWLR (Pt 110) 455 at 477
Moore v Gooderham [1960] 3 All E.R. 575
Nwachukwu v State [1985] 3NWLR (Pt 11) 218 at 225
Nwachukwu v State [1986] 2NWLR (Pt 25) 765
Okeji v Olokoba [2000] 4NWLR (Pt 654) 513
Olatunji v State [2003] 14 NWLR (Pt. 839) 138 at pp 165-166
R v Okoye [1950] 19NLR 103
R v Singh (1989) Crim. L.R. 724
R v Thorpe [1987] 85 Cr. App. Rep. 107
State v Anini and Ors (unreported) Charge No. RFT/13/1/87
Tanko v State [2009] 4NWLR (Pt 1131) 430 at 453
The Queen v Nwaogwugwu [1962] 1All NLR 294
Totor v Aweh [2000] 2NWLR (Pt 644) 309
Books and Journal Articles
Adinkrah, KO. 1986. Arresting armed robbery with arms: the case for freer access to guns in Nigeria. The Nigerian Law Journal. 13 (1): 71.
Alemika, Etannibi EO. and Chukwuma, Innocent C. (eds). 2004. Crime and Policing in Nigeria: Challenges and Options, Network on Police Reform in Nigeria. Retrieved from http://www.cleen.org/CRIME%20AND%20POLICING%20IN%20NIGERIA.pdf at p 10 (accessed January 19, 2014).
Amadi, GOS. 2000. Police Powers in Nigeria. Enugu: Afro-Obis Publications Ltd: 166, 148.
Asogwah, Frank I and Okoli, Pontian N. 2008. Economic Crimes and National Development Enugu: Institute for Development Studies: 241.
Atta, Aliyu I. 1997. Service at Kam Salem House: My Years as Inspector-General of Police. Lagos: Blowsome Ventures Limited:96.
Fapohunda, Tinuke M., Atiku, Sulaiman Olusegun and Lawal, Ibrahim Olarenwaju. 2012. Minimum wage implementation in a post-recession economy: the Nigerian experience. European Scientific Journal 8(7): 20.
Nwabueze, BO. 1993. Military Rule and Social Justice in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum Law Publishing.
Ojudu, Babafemi. 2004. Gun Smuggling in the Niger Delta World Press Review, November 16. Retrieved from http://www.worldpress.org/cover7.htm (last accessed January 15, 2014).
Open Society Institute. 2010. Criminal Force: Torture, Abuse and Extrajudicial Killings by the Nigeria Police Force.) —a publication by the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria and the Open Society Institute. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4cbc44742.pdf (accessed January 16, 2014).
Ormerod, David 2011 Smith and Hogan’s Criminal Law, 13th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 412.
Otubu, Akintunde Kabir and Coker, Sunday A. 2008. Police and Crime Prevention in Nigeria . Police Discretion: State Practices. Raadhakalyani, K. (ed) Amicus Books Icfai University Press India.
Oyebode, Akin. 2012. Legal Responses to the Boko Haram Challenge: An Assessment of Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011. Paper delivered at the Oxford Round Table, held at Harris Manchester College, the University of Oxford, England, July 22-26.
Ryan, Jordan. 2012. As the UN’s small arms review conference ends, what is needed to reduce violence? Retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ourperspective/ourperspectivearticles/2012/09/10/as-the-un-s-small-arms-review-conference-ends-what-is-needed-to-reduce-violence-jordan-ryan.html (accessed January 13, 2014).
Vines, Alex. 2005. Combating Light Weapons Proliferation in West Africa. International Affairs 81(2): 358, Retrieved from http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/public/International%20Affairs/2005/inta_454.pdf (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2005.00454.x
Wakil, B. National Arms Production Capacity of Nigeria. 2005. Retrieved from http://www.poa-iss.org/CASACountryProfile/ OtherDocument/61@InvRpt_Nigeria.pdf at p 54 (accessed January 29, 2013).
Newspapers and Magazines
2013. Sunday Sun. February 4 (Lagos), p1.
2005. The Guardian. June 23 (Lagos), p1.
2013. TELL Magazine. January 7 (Lagos), pp 50-51.
2013. This Day Newspaper. January 28 (Lagos), p 8.
2005. Vanguard. May 20, 2005 (Lagos), p 1.
2005. The Guardian. January 23 (Lagos), p 21.
2013. Sunday Sun. February 4 (Lagos), p1.
2005. The Guardian. June 23 (Lagos), p1.
Websites
mdtf.undp.org/document/download/4666 (accessed January 15, 2014).
http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/archive/documents/FirearmsLaw. pdf (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/firearms/ (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://www.un.org/events/smallarms2006/faq.html (accessed January 13, 2014).
http://www.maginternational.org/news/reducing-the-threat-of-small-arms-and-light-weapons/ (accessed January 29, 2013).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20730717 (accessed January 15, 2014).
http://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/SALW/ (accessed January 13 2014).
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2012/09/07/preventing-illegal-flow-of-guns-is-key-to-reducing-poverty-/ (accessed January 14 2014).
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=19206 (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/police-interrogate-human-rights-chief (accessed January 28, 2013).
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-advises-mend-not-to-resort-to-violence-over-okah/137673/.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20725677 (accessed January 20, 2014).
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/16/nigeria-police-want-to-interrogate-rights-leader/ (accessed January 20, 2014).
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/outrage-grows-over-kuku-dokubos-threats/147047/ (accessed January 10, 2014).
http://www.poa-iss.org/CASACountryProfile/OtherDocument/61@Inv Rpt_Nigeria.pdf (accessed January 29, 2013).
http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-12-c&chapter=18&lang=en (accessed January 12, 2014).
http://natforce-ng.org/news-lagos%20operations.htm (accessed January 12, 2014)
http://www.tellng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1786:how-illegal-arms-threaten-nigeria%E2%80%99s-unity (accessed January 13, 2014).
http://m.news24.com/nigeria/National/News/54-per-cent-of-Nigerian-youth-unemployed-official-20131218 (accessed January 23, 2014).
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nigerian_court_charges_Iranian_over_arms_cache_999.html (accessed January 29, 2014).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-20611395 (accessed January 17, 2014).
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4cbc44742.pdf (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://www.cleen.org/CRIME%20AND%20POLICING%20IN%20NIGERIA.pdf (accessed January 19, 2014).
http://www.nigeriapolice.org (accessed January 29, 2013).
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=19206 (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7056245.stm (accessed January 16, 2014).
http://m.news24.com/nigeria/National/News/54-per-cent-of-Nigerian-youth-unemployed-official-20131218 (accessed January 23, 2014).
https://www.google.co.uk/#q=https:%2F%2Fwww.amnesty.org%2Fen%2Fnews%2Fnigeria-becomes-first-african-nation-ratify-a++rms-trade-treaty-2013-08-14 (accessed January 13, 2014).
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Published
2014-03-10
How to Cite
Okoli, P. (2014). A Legal Inquiry into the Proliferation and Control of Small Arms in Nigeria. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 3, 77–92. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.06
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