Trans - Border Communities Planning and the Problems of Arms Smuggling in the West African Sub-Region: The Case Study of Nigeria - Benin Border Development

Trans-border crimes and arms smuggling in the West African sub-region has in recent times been identified as a fundamental problem that requires concerted efforts by individuals, groups, organizations and governments to solve. Thus, we have national governments, regional organizations, the United Nations Organization and other non-governmental organizations making active efforts to stem smuggling of arms. This trend of event is quite understandable. The last decade had witnessed tremendous increase in the proliferation of arms across the West African sub-region. The arms were believed to be used to actualize certain socio-political objectives which in many cases become violent. The violence involved necessitated the smuggling of arms to actualize those objectives. While smuggling of arms had led to the availability of arms being possessed illegally, it has facilitated outright destruction of peace and security in Africa especially the West African sub-region. The availability of these small arms had made it easy for some countries to go to full scale war and in countries where there is no war; it is a common place that life is lived as if it is always in a state of war. Every person whether while staying in his home or moving about does so with the feeling that the next person to him is armed with a small weapon and about to kill him. Suddenly, the international community in the last two decades came to the realization of the havoc the smuggling/proliferation of small arms had done to mankind. It has suddenly been discovered that the biggest agent of destruction of human life is small weapon which are very cheap and easy to acquire and moved about. Human destruction is facilitated by small arms through violent ethnic/political/religious conflicts, kidnapping, armed robbery, assassination and cultism in the tertiary institutions. Consequently, an international Campaign was initiated through the United Nations Organization (UNO) by concerned countries to end the smuggling in arms. This research study attempts to examine the perception of trans-border communities to arms smuggling with specific focus on Nigeria-Benin Republic border, and how they can assist in tackling smuggling in arms across the borders.