ABSTRACT
Many countries of the world have at one time or other, battled with national and international threats to their international sovereignty and national security. Nigeria is not an exception to this trend and the country has over the years tackled this challenge of insecurity. The war against insecurity in the country is however won at a loss and Nigeria is perpetually among the list of unsecured countries to live. Hence, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country pose a challenge to national integrity of the state and threatens the essential values that constitute nationhood. This prolonged national insecurity makes Nigeria reflect elements of a failed state. This paper therefore examined failed state theory and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria. The study relied on primary and secondary sources of information. The findings revealed that the inability of the Nigerian state to curb or check the remote and immediate demand factors of arms and weapons heightened the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country. The study concluded among others that, Nigeria may gradually become a failed state if there is no stoppage to proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
Keywords: Failed state, small arms, light weapons, proliferation