The federal government has revealed that the increasing proliferation of illicit arms and ammunition is fueling renewed security challenges across the country.
The government, through its agency, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Office of the National Security Adviser, added that it was doing everything possible to mop up small and light weapons in the hands of Nigerians without licence in the interest of the nation.
The South West zonal coordinator of the centre, Ben Sola Akinlade, spoke while addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, on the occasion of the 2024 International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Arms Awareness.
Akinlade explained that the day was necessary to intensify the sensitization campaign against illicit arms towards ending armed conflicts among people and ensuring peace in the country.
He noted that the recent security breaches in Ekiti State, especially the killing of two traditional rulers, have brought to the fore the need for stakeholders to collaborate in retrieving illegal arms from society, especially in the south-west.
The zonal coordinator, who revealed that the centre is clamping down on local arms fabricators, called on those in possession of illicit arms to approach the nearest police station or their office to submit them with a promise that they would be rewarded.
According to him, the campaign against illicit arms has been extended to the orientation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and higher institutions of learning to disabuse the minds of the students on the need to eschew violence and the formation of armed gangs.
Akinlade said, “ The increase in the spate of violent crimes in our local area, especially in Ekiti State, in recent times, which led to the kidnapping and killing of high-profile personalities, is of great concern.
“ If there are no weapons and arms, criminality will reduce drastically in our land. We observed that there is criminality because people have access to arms and ammunition in our country.
“ We are doing a lot in this aspect as a centre to mop up all these arms from people who are not authorised to bear them with our sustained collaboration with stakeholders and security agencies in identifying, profiling, arresting, and prosecuting arms traffickers as well as those with illicit possession of arms and ammunition within the zone.
“ The centre at the national level has recovered a large number of arms from the military and the Nigeria Police. These illicit arms are being destroyed and profiled so as not to get back to society through unpatriotic citizens across the strata of society.”
On the recent self-defence bill introduced in the Senate for citizens to bear arms in view of the insecurity in the country, the zonal coordinator said if the legislation received presidential assent, the centre would come up with strong regulations to prevent the abuse of firearms.
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