The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has said that most illicit arms used to commit crimes in the country initially 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) 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 condemned and rained curses on the security personnel who facilitate the movement of weapons to terrorists, bandits and other non-state actors.
He assured the government would do everything possible to ensure the country is safe, secure and protected.
“We have to find a way of putting a stop to this. If we want to recover our country and live in peace and stability, we must.
“The worst human being is a policeman or a soldier who will take arms from his formations and sell it or hide it out for the wrong people to come and kill his colleagues.
“We must fight these people, but 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 conducted by the Centre in the past, and it was a significant 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 to ensure the safety of every Nigerian.
According to him, we are demonstrating our commitment to a secure future for all Nigerians by destroying unserviceable, obsolete and recovered arms.
“All illicit arms are not only unserviceable but all illicit. Any weapon that is taken is out there through an illegal process.
“We have laws that govern ownership of small arms. If you do not follow it, it is a crime and supposed to be eradicated,” he added.
The 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 of command.
Kokumo said the challenge posed by the proliferation of SALW was one of the significant 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.
“The military, police and other security agencies across the country have mopped up these weapons.
“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.
“It is also essential 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 handed over to the Centre by the Nigeria Customs Service.
These weapons categories would be destroyed upon completion of the proceedings during subsequent routine destruction exercises,” he said.
Kokumo said the destruction had successfully removed thousands of illegal, dangerous weapons from circulation with profound security implications for the country.
According to him, this exercise is by the provisions of Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on small arms and light weapons and the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW.
He thanked the NSA and the military for supporting the Centre in meeting its constitutional mandate.
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