Armed groups, armed proliferation, and the amnesty program in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

The plunder of the Niger Delta has turned full circle as crude oil has taken the place of palm oil, but the dramatis personae remain unchanged: a predatory government bent on extracting the last drop of blood from the richly endowed Niger Delta, and a courageous people determined to resist. This paper locates the armed conflict in the oil-rich Niger Delta within the context of unrealised expectations and consequent frustration and aggression on the part of the oil-bearing communities. The thesis of the paper argues that while small arms proliferation are not directly the cause of conflict in the volatile region, their stockpiles fuel wars and sustain violence. The paper makes the submission that the more people accept that arms are necessary for survival and economic progress, the more insecurity thrives and drives a self-perpetuating cycle: an internal arms race. The collapse of the social contract between the state and its citizenry has a hand in this perpetuation and is, therefore, instructive.