THE ROLE OF ECOWAS IN ARMS CONTROL, ANALYZING THE NIGER DELTA AMNESTY INITIATIVE IN NIGERIA (2009-2014)

This study examines the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in arms control, focusing on Nigeria’s Niger Delta Amnesty Initiative (NDAI) from 2009 to 2014. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) across West Africa has fueled insurgencies, criminal networks, and prolonged regional insecurity. ECOWAS, through its 2006 Convention on SALW and the ECOWAS Small Arms Programme (ECOSAP), has sought to counteract these threats using a mix of legal, institutional, and operational interventions. This research investigates how ECOWAS contributed to the design, implementation, and outcomes of the NDAI, and how the initiative, in turn, influenced ECOWAS’s broader arms control strategies. Anchored on Neoliberal Institutionalism by Robert Keohane (1984), the study explores how regional institutions promote cooperation among self-interested states by establishing norms, reducing uncertainty, and fostering compliance. The study adopts an ex post facto research design and applies qualitative content analysis to assess documentary data, including ECOWAS reports, policy documents, and amnesty programme evaluations. Findings reveal that ECOWAS played a pivotal role in supporting Nigeria’s DDR (Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration) process by providing normative frameworks, monitoring mechanisms, technical expertise, and funding through the ECOWAS Peace Fund. The NDAI’s outcomes including the disarmament of over 30,000 ex-militants and a notable reduction in attacks on oil facilities served as a replicable model for ECOWAS’s arms control operations in other conflict-affected areas like Mali, Guinea-Bissau, and Côte d’Ivoire. However, the study also identifies challenges such as porous borders, limited reintegration funding, and weak institutional enforcement, which hinder the long-term sustainability of disarmament efforts. The study concludes that ECOWAS has made significant strides in regional arms control, but greater success depends on enhanced political will, stronger member-state compliance, and inclusive, community-based reintegration strategies. Lessons from the NDAI offer valuable insights for future arms control and peacebuilding interventions across West Africa. Keywords: ECOWAS, arms control, Niger Delta Amnesty, DDR, regional security, small arms