The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has revealed that most arms being used illegally to commit crime in the country originally belonged to the government.
Ribadu said this on Thursday during the Arms Destruction Exercise organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) at Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja.
He explained that the weapons ended up in the hands of non-state actors due to corrupt elements within the security agencies.
The NSA who condemned such security personnel who facilitate the movement of weapons to terrorists, bandits and other non-state actors also rained curses on them for causing harm to the citizens.
He however, assured that the government would do everything possible to ensure that the country is safe, secured and protected.
“We have to find a way of putting a stop to this. We must, if we want to recover our country and live in peace and stability.
“The worst human being is a policeman or a soldier who will take arms from his own formations and sell it or hide it out for the bad people to come and kill his own colleagues.
“We must fight these people, but also there are merchants of death and evil from outside the world.
“The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remains a major threat to our national security, exacerbating issues such as insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes,” he said.
Ribadu said the arms destruction exercise was one of several measures that have been conducted by the Centre in the past, being a major focus and a decisive step in the concerted effort to address the challenge of arms proliferation in Nigeria.
The NSA said the federal government had remained committed to providing the necessary support to the Centre towards ensuring the safety of every Nigerian.
According to him, by destroying unserviceable, obsolete and recovered arms, the Office was demonstrating its commitment to a secure future for all Nigerians.
“We have laws that govern ownership of small arms. If you do not follow it, it is an illegal arm and it is supposed to be destroyed completely,” he added.
Director General of NCCSALW, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, said the arms destruction exercise was the third in a series since the Centre was established and the first since his assumption.
Kokumo said the challenge posed by the proliferation of SALW was one of the major threats to peace and security in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He said the exercise would witness the destruction of over 2,400 illicit weapons, comprising a mix of unserviceable, decommissioned and recovered arms.
“These weapons have been mopped up by the military, police and other security agencies across the country.
“By permanently removing these arms from circulation, we reduce the risk they pose to our communities and send a clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate the illegal trafficking and possession of small arms and light weapons,” he said.
Kokumo added that the Centre has some recovered/captured illicit SALW still undergoing tracing as well as investigations and legal processes in its custody.
According to him, the desctruction exercise was in line with the provisions of Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on small arms and light weapons as well as the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW.
