Electoral Violence and Arms Proliferation in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences and Way Forward
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Published:
Aug 29, 2018
Keywords:
Electoral Violence, Arms Proliferation and Control, Politicians, Security
Main Article Content
Abstract
One of the greatest challenges facing governance and political systems in Africa is the violence that ensues whenever elections are conducted. The main objective of the study was to examine the relationship between electoral violence and arms proliferation in Nigeria. It also examines the causes and implications of electoral violence on the electorate, entire community and Nigeria’s political system. The adopted research methodology is desktop research, where information was obtained from journals, textbooks, conference papers and others. The findings of the study revealed a link between small arms and electoral violence, and it was discovered that illicit proliferation of small arms is a major cause of electoral violence in Nigeria. The study established the lack of trust of the politicians on the electoral process which is a challenge to the nation’s nascent democracy and sustainability of peace and security. The study therefore, recommended that security agencies that are involved in the electoral system should be trained on electoral security system, in order to improve the level of security in the country. The study also posits that the control of small arms is very essential in curtailing the high level of illicit flow of arms in the country before and during elections.
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Ola, A. A. . (2018). Electoral Violence and Arms Proliferation in Nigeria: Causes, Consequences and Way Forward . African Journal of Stability and Development (AJSD), 11(2), 446–459. https://doi.org/10.53982/ajsd.2018.1102.13-j
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The Implication Perspective. Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences, 6(1),
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Election Violence in Katsina State. NG-Journal of Social Development,
5(5), 136-151.
Omotola, S. (2010). Explaining electoral violence in Africa’s “new”
democracies. African Journal on Conflict Resolution, 10(3).
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and the Lessons for the Future. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences,
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security in Nigeria. Conflict Trends (1), 50-56.
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Democratisation Influence the Use of Violence as an Electoral Strategy.
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Democratisation Influence the Use of Violence as an Electoral Strategy.
University of Michigan.
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Geneva: Small Arms Survey. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/ weaponsand-markets/definitions.html
of Democracy in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: A Historical Perspective.
Canadian Social Science, 10(3) , 140.
Atuobi, S. M. (2008). Election-related violence in Africa. Conflict trends,
2008 (1), 10-15.
Aver, T. T., Nnorom, K., & Msughter, I. M. (2014). The Proliferation of
Arms and Its Effect on the Development of Democracy in Nigeria.
American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and
Social Sciences.
Bekoe, D. (2010). Trends in electoral violence in sub-Saharan Africa. United
State Institute of Peace, Peacebrief (13).
Biswas, A. (2008). Small Arms and Drug Trafficking in the Indian Ocean
Region: University of Mumbai.
Bratton, M. (2008). Vote buying and violence in Nigerian election campaigns.
Electoral Studies, 27(4), 621-632.
Burchard, S. M. (2015). Electoral violence in sub-Saharan Africa: causes
and consequences: First Forum Press, A Division of Lynne Rienner
Publishers, Incorporated.
Campbell, J. (2010). Electoral violence in Nigeria. Contingency Planning
Memorandum, 9.
Chaturvedi, A. (2005). Rigging elections with violence. Public Choice, 125
(1), 189-202.
Davies, L., & Kirkpatrick, G. (2000). The Euridem Project: A review of pupil
democracy in Europe: Children’s Rights Alliance for England.
Edet, L. I. (2015). Electoral violence and democratisation process in Nigeria:
A reference of 2011 and 2015 general elections. Acta Universitatis
Danubius. Administration, 7(1).
Fjelde, H., & Höglund, K. (2016). Electoral institutions and electoral violence
in Sub-Saharan Africa. British Journal of Political Science, 46(2), 297-
320.
Frimpong, P. (2012, Friday, December 14, 2012). Electoral violence in
Africa…Causes, implications and solutions. Modern Ghana News. Friday,
December 14, 2012. Accessed on July 1, 2017 from https://
www.modernghana.com/news/435729/electoral-violence-inafricacausesimplications-and-soluti.html.
Gunaratna, R. (2002). Inside Al Qaeda: global network of terror: Columbia
University Press.
Hafner-Burton, E. M., Hyde, S. D., & Jablonski, R. S. (2014). When do
governments resort to election violence? British Journal of Political
Science, 44(1), 149-179.
Haruna, A., & Jumba, A. H. (2011). Politics of Thuggery and Patronage in the
North-Eastern Nigeria. Academic Research International, 1(1), 111.
Hoglund, K. (2006). Electoral violence in war-ravaged societies: the case of
Sri Lanka. Paper presented at a Workshop on Power Sharing and
Democratic Governance in Divided Societies, Centre for the Study of
Civil War, August 21st-22nd.
Höglund, K. (2009). Electoral violence in conflict-ridden societies: concepts,
causes, and consequences. Terrorism and political violence, 21(3), 412-
427.
Ikpe, U. B. (2015). Rethinking Electoral Violence and Democratic Consolidation
in Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 50(1), 96-108.
Isola, O. O. (2010). Mass media and election violence: 1965 and 1983
experiences in Western Nigeria: John Archers Publishers Limited, Ibadan.
Karim, A. (2012). A Comparartive Analysis of Electoral Violence in Kogi
and Kwara State of Nigeria (PhD), University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
Karim, A. (2014). Reflections on Electoral Violence in Nigeria Ibadan: John
Archers Publishers Limited.
Klopp, J. M., & Zuern, E. (2007). The politics of violence in democratisation:
lessons from Kenya and South Africa. Comparative Politics, 127146.
Lehoucq, F. (2003). Electoral fraud: Causes, types, and consequences. Annual
review of political science, 6(1), 233-256.
Ngah, G. (2016). Causes of Electoral Violence in Africa. Democracy Chronicles.
Obakhedo, N. O. (2011). Curbing electoral violence in Nigeria: The imperative
of political education. African Research Review, 5(5), 99110.
Ojoka, D., & Acolb, T. (2017). Connecting the Dots: Youth Political
Participation and Electoral Violence in Africa. Journal of African
Democracy and Development 1(2), 94-108.
Okafor, F. (2015). Electoral Violence and the 2015 General Elections in Nigeria:
The Implication Perspective. Afro Asian Journal of Social Sciences, 6(1),
1-14.
Omede, A., & Mu’awiyya, A. (2016). Electoral Violence and
Democratisation Process in Nigeria: A Review of 2011 Post-Presidential
Election Violence in Katsina State. NG-Journal of Social Development,
5(5), 136-151.
Omotola, S. (2010). Explaining electoral violence in Africa’s “new”
democracies. African Journal on Conflict Resolution, 10(3).
Onimisi, T. (2015). The Prognoses of the 2011 Electoral Violence in Nigeria
and the Lessons for the Future. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences,
6(1 S1), 242.
Onuoha, F. C. (2011). Small arms and light weapons proliferation and human
security in Nigeria. Conflict Trends (1), 50-56.
Reif, M. (2006a). Making Democracy Safe: How Institutions and
Democratisation Influence the Use of Violence as an Electoral Strategy.
notes.
Reif, M. (2006b). Making Democracy Safe: How Institutions and
Democratisation Influence the Use of Violence as an Electoral Strategy.
University of Michigan.
Small Arms Survey (2014) Definitions of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Geneva: Small Arms Survey. http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/ weaponsand-markets/definitions.html