Fed Govt moves to curb arms proliferation, destroys 16,000 illicit weapons, says DG
The Director-General, National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, has said the Federal Government has destroyed over 16,000 illicit arms and ammunition
- From AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna
The Director-General, National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, has said the Federal Government has destroyed over 16,000 illicit arms and ammunition as part of efforts to curb violent crimes across the country.
Kokumo, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, made this known during a visit to the Northwest Zonal Office of the centre, where he addressed staff members and stakeholders on the mandate and activities of the agency.
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He said the proliferation of small arms and light weapons remains a major driver of insecurity in Nigeria, linking it to banditry in the Northwest, insurgency in the Northeast, separatist agitations in the Southeast, as well as kidnapping and armed robbery in other parts of the country.
According to him, the establishment of the centre was a response by the Federal Government to tackle the widespread circulation of illegal weapons and reduce crime to the barest minimum.
“The proliferation of small arms and light weapons has been responsible for heinous crimes and violence across the country. Without these weapons, criminal activities would be extremely difficult, if not impossible,” he said.
Kokumo explained that the centre, established in 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, was later strengthened with a legal framework following the signing of its establishing law in June 2024 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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He added that the agency operates in line with the ECOWAS convention, which Nigeria is a signatory to, with the core mandate of controlling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The DG identified three major sources of illicit weapons in the country to include illegal importation through land, sea and air borders, local fabrication by artisanal producers, and diversion or theft from stockpiles of arms-bearing security agencies.
He said the centre has intensified efforts to address these challenges through monitoring, training and collaboration with relevant agencies, particularly the Nigerian Customs Service.
Kokumo also said the centre had arrested individuals involved in the illegal importation of arms through an airport in Port Harcourt, adding that they are facing prosecution in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Earlier, the Northwest Zonal Director of the centre, Commodore Jamil Mukhtar, highlighted key achievements recorded in the zone to include intelligence gathering, sensitisation programmes, capacity-building training and stakeholder engagement.
He however expressed optimism that ongoing military operations against bandits in the North-West would lead to increased recovery of illicit weapons.
