Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation, Nutritional Crisis and Developmental Implications in Nigeria

Armed conflict, whether civil wars, international warfare, or regional instability, has farreaching consequences on societies, particularly on the health and nutritional well-being of populations. The destruction of infrastructure, forced displacement, and disruption of food systems contribute to a severe rise in malnutrition and nutritional disorders. The study adopted a two-pronged approach using narratives, interviews and internet materials. Multi-stage sampling was employed in selecting three recognised geo-political regions out of six. Out of the six (6) geo-political zones in Nigeria namely; North East, North West, North Central, South East, South West and South South, two conflict-ridden states will be purposively selected from the North East (Borno and Bauchi), North Central (Plateau and Benue) and South East (Anambra and Enugu). The selected states have experienced series of small arms conflict ranging from Boko haram in the North East, Fulani Herdsmen clash in the North Central and IPOB and unknown gun men in the South East. Three local government areas (LGAs) from each states were selected totalling nine (9) for the study. Three communities from each LGAs were selected through simple random sampling technique making a total of 27 villages. A total of 384 copies of questionnaire was used in the study alongside interview. Chi-square was used to test for the impact of small arms conflict on food availability in conflict prone areas in Nigeria. The result produces Pearson Chi-Square value of 236.102a , degree of freedom (df) of 12 and a P-value (2-sided) of 0.000. From the result, since the P-value is less than 0.05 (significance level), the null hypothesis is rejected and can therefore be concluded that there is significant impact of small arms conflict on the food availability in the study area. It was revealed that small arm conflict causes breakdown of food distribution networks and in most cases, roads are blocked, transportation routes are unsafe, and markets are disrupted. These barriers prevent the efficient movement of food and contribute to localized shortages. The vulnerable people are not necessarily dead from the bullet triggered from riffles, rather by the bullet fired by hunger. It was concluded that these effects are not only immediate but can persist for years, affecting future generations. Hence, Investment on local disarmament, expanding food production and embracing an ideal governance is needful.