How Porous Borders Fuel the Illegal Flow of Weapons Into Nigeria

Illegal small arms and light weapons continue to threaten security across West Africa, including Nigeria. Criminal networks exploit poorly monitored land borders, remote footpaths and coastal routes to move weapons to armed groups and other criminal actors. Weapons may be dismantled and concealed in commercial cargo, grain sacks, livestock vehicles or modified tankers. Traffickers can also avoid official checkpoints by using forest trails, desert crossings and isolated maritime inlets. Security agencies face the difficult task of monitoring long and poorly resourced border areas. Stronger intelligence sharing, joint regional patrols and improved border surveillance could help disrupt the supply networks behind illegal firearms.

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