Who Supplies the Weapons Fueling Banditry in Nigeria?

Banditry cannot thrive without a steady supply of weapons, ammunition, transport and funding. After years of kidnappings and attacks, Nigeria must look beyond the gunmen carrying out crimes and investigate the networks that arm them. Illegal firearms can come from stolen or diverted legal stocks, cross-border trafficking through the Sahel, weapons left over from past conflicts and local fabrication. Better armoury records, weapon marking, tracing and border intelligence are needed to identify how firearms enter criminal hands. Authorities should also follow the money. Every weapon has a supplier, buyer, transporter and financier. Recovering or destroying firearms is important, but lasting security will depend on dismantling the supply chains, prosecuting those responsible and preventing replacement weapons from reaching criminal groups. The key question is not only who pulled the trigger, but who supplied the gun, who paid for it and who profits from Nigeria's insecurity.

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