The Nation Newspaper

Tag: arms proliferation

  • Arms proliferation: FG destroys 3,867 illicit weapons

    Arms proliferation: FG destroys 3,867 illicit weapons

    The National Centre for Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in the Office of the National Security Adviser, has destroyed a total of 3,867 different types and calibres of small arms and light weapons (SALW).

    The weapons were destroyed by initial burning process and subsequently, smelting of the remnant metal parts.

    Speaking at the venue of destruction located at Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Giri, Abuja, on Thursday , the Director-General of NCCSALW, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Johnson Kokumo, said arms destruction exercise was the fourth in a series of what had now become routine in the centre’s illicit weapons reduction strategy. 

    He said: “Today, a total of quantity 3,867 different types and calibres of SALW would be destroyed by the initial burning process and subsequently, smelting of the remnant metal parts.

    “It is pertinent to state that the National Centre has in its custody some recovered/captured illicit SALW still undergoing tracing as well as investigations and legal processes.

    “These include the illicit weapons smuggled into the Country and intercepted at Onne Port and NAHCO shed at the Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos by the Nigeria Customs Service.

    “These categories of weapons would be destroyed on completion of the proceedings during subsequent routine destruction exercises.”

    Kokumo explained that the exercise highlights the dangers of excess, poorly secured, and illegal weapons as well as the importance of small arms destruction as a vital measure to reduce the proliferation and misuse of firearms.

    According to him, it also underscores the Nigerian Government’s commitment to transparent documentation and destruction of decommissioned, unserviceable, captured, surrendered and recovered illicit firearms.

    Read Also: Arms proliferation worsening Nigeria’s insecurity – FG

    He said This was in line with the provisions of Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on SALW and the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW.

    The NCCSALW boss said the centre would continue to push in the direction with a view to generating ingenious strategies to reduce, if not completely eradicate, the availability of illicit arms in the society.

    He expressed appreciation to the Service Chiefs and heads of other arms bearing security and intelligence services for releasing the recovered weapons for the destruction exercises.

    “I am rest assured of your continued support to the Centre as we work together towards our shared vision of an illicit arms-free society,” he said.

  • Fed Govt seeks regional support to tackle arms proliferation

    Fed Govt seeks regional support to tackle arms proliferation

    • Ribadu: Nigeria stepping up surveillance on Gulf of Guinea to check arms trafficking

    • DICON equipped to produce ammunitions for Armed Forces, West Africa, says House Committee

    The Federal Government is seeking regional collaboration, innovative solutions and a shared commitment to combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

    The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), announced this yesterday at a two–day seminar on: “Climate Change and the Changing Dynamics of Arms Proliferation in the Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria in Perspective,” organised by the NCCSALW in collaboration with the Global Network for Human Development (GOLHD).

    Kokumo said: “We must reflect on how the changing climate exacerbates insecurity, weakens governance and allows the illegal arms trade to thrive.

    “Furthermore, we need to explore how we can respond to these emerging threats more effectively by fostering stronger national and regional frameworks for arms control, environmental resilience and conflict mitigation.

    “I assure you of the centre’s commitment and resolve to ensure the menace of SALW is curbed.”

    Kokumo said the NCCSALW was undergoing a comprehensive repositioning to enhance its ability to curtail the spread of SALW more effectively.

    Read Also: Sanwo-Olu, Anyaoku, religious leaders hail Iwuanyanwu’s legacy 

    The guest lecturer, who is also the President of the GOLHD Centre, Dr. Dickson Orji, noted that the bulk of illicit arms in Nigeria were moved through the maritime domain.

    Orji urged the government to pay more attention to the maritime arena in the fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the country.

    He recommended continuous advocacy and stakeholder engagements, empowerment of the relevant agencies responsible for maritime security and building synergy between the security agencies in the sector.

    Also, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has said the Federal Government was putting more surveillance on the Gulf of Guinea as a significant route for arms trafficking into the country.

    He said the move was aimed at addressing the country’s insecurity crisis, which is deeply rooted in the illicit arms proliferation.

    Ribadu, who was represented by the Director of External Affairs in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ibrahim Babani, said: “It is the maritime gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. However, the lucrative nature of the GoG in terms of natural resources, movement of ships, and related economic activities attracts strange bedfellows and men of the underworld with ulterior motives pursuing nefarious activities in the GoG.

    “Organised crime syndicates are involved in various devastating crimes, notably drug trafficking, human trafficking, oil theft, kidnaping and hostage-taking of ship crews, piracy, smuggling of contraband goods. In this category lies the smuggling of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) by international crime syndicates.

    “Though there have been reports on the proliferation of SALW through the maritime sector, the government is interested in further interrogation of the GoG as a major route for arms trafficking.”

    Also, the Hopuse of Representatives has said the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has the capacity to produce ammunitions and other military hardware and software for the Armed Forces and other parts of West Africa.

    This followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the new DICON Act.

    The Green Chamber’s Committee on Defence said this yesterday during its oversight visits to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) at Jaji, and DICON, all in Kaduna.

    Addressing reporters after the committee’s close-door meeting on the heels of a tour of the three military facilities, Committee Chairman Babajimi Benson said DICON’s progress in producing locally made firearms and other military hardware was a significant achievement that would further strengthen Nigeria’s Armed Forces and reduce dependency on foreign suppliers.

    Benson, who sponsored the new DICON Bill in the National Assembly before it was passed and signed into law by President Tinubu, said: “In today’s global security environment, the ability of a nation to manufacture its defence equipment is crucial to its sovereignty and resilience.”

    He urged DICON to continue to prioritise innovation, research, and development that would ensure all military equipment produced met the highest standards of quality and reliability.