The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW, has disclosed that more than 3,000 illegal arms were recovered across Nigeria in the past 18 months.
This was stated by the national coordinator of the centre, Abba Dikko, in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Dikko said the recovery was part of a calculated attempt to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms across the country.
He stated that the recovered arms will be destroyed in Kaduna on Thursday stressing that the centre remains committed to riding the country of unauthorized wielding of firearms.
Dikko said, “Since the take-off of the centre in May 2021, tremendous achievements have been recorded and landmark progress made and within the period under review over 3000 arms were recovered.
“We are at the moment under the guidance of the national security adviser before the bill for our establishment is passed into law to fulfil the mandate of the ECOWAS charter of 2006, which Nigeria was a signatory nation.
“It mandated member states to establish a commission to regulate acquisition, use and disposal of small and light weapons.
“It is only Nigeria and Ghana where the commission is yet to be given legal teeth to carry out its function as required.”
According to Dikko, the centre has decentralised its activities to enhance its effectiveness.
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He added, “For effective administration, we have centres across the six geopolitical zones where our activities are coordinated of ensuring the mopping up of illicit weapons from the society.
“You can attest that our efforts are yielding results, considering the volume of arms recovered in the past 18 months from south-south, south-east, north-central and north-west geopolitical zones of this country.”
Dikko pledged that the war against illegal firearms will be sustained to ensure peace and stability of the country.
He said, “It is a collective responsibility and efforts must be sustained, especially by members of the media, in this fight against the spread of small arms and light weapons in our society,” he said.
“The destruction of this over 3000 firearms would be a continuous occurrence until all nooks and crannies of this beautiful country are certified free of illicit small and light weapons.”
Dikko noted that local manufacturers of light weapons would be identified and mainstreamed into the military industrial corporation.
Source: Cable
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