PERMEABLE BORDERS AND INSECURITY: THE ECOWAS PROTOCOL ON FREE MOVEMENT AND TRANS-BORDER BANDITRY ON THE NIGERIA-NIGER REPUBLIC FRONTIER

Abstract

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 as a sub-regional organization by West African States to primarily promote economic cooperation among member states. To realize this objective, the organization adopted the ECOWAS protocol on freedom of movement and the right of residency of citizens of member states in 1979. The protocol was aimed at creating a borderless sub-region through a single market, currency, and free tariff zone. However, after four decades, the content of the protocol remains operational despite numerous trans-border security challenges bedeviling the sub-region. It is on this premise that this paper interrogates the nexus between the protocol and trans-border banditry on the Nigeria-Niger Republic frontier. While the paper adopted the economic integration theory, questionnaires were used to generate quantitative data from the sample of 400 respondents drawn from the study area. While the responses were cross-tabulated, simple percentage and Chi-Square techniques were used to interpret each table. This study reveals that continuous implementation of the protocol has contributed immensely to the porosity of the Nigeria-Niger Republic borders, which warrants undocumented migration of ECOWAS citizens, thereby making the border a gateway for arms and trans-border banditry. While appreciating the positive impact of ECOWAS on member states, the article recommends that Nigeria can remain a member but to opt-out of the protocol is a better option to enable it effectively control trans-border banditry on the Nigeria-Niger Republic frontiers.