By: Atiku Galadima – Maiduguri.
The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has disclosed that it has recovered over 10,000 illegal arms and light weapons from non-state actors in various operations in a bid to ensure violence-free elections in the country.
The National Coordinator of the Centre, Major General Abba Dikko (rtd), who disclosed this while briefing newsmen on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, said the recovery, was part of ongoing efforts of the Centre to stop the circulation of illicit firearms in the country, particularly during this year’s general elections.
According to him, the centre is determined to ensure that only authorized persons possess weapons targeting at ensuring violence and criminalities are reduced to minimum level during the conduct of 2023 general elections.
“Not less than 10,000 small arms and light weapons were recovered from the hands of non-State actors, insurgents, bandits in various theatres of operations and also the police”.
“So far, we have recovered Over 10,000 small arms, weapons to ensure violence free elections”.
“For the police alone we retrieved almost 4,000 and what we have retrieved from other theatres”.
“We are doing all these in order to remove illicit weapons from circulation which not targeted at a peaceful election but targeted at violence and criminalities is reduced to the barest minimum across Nigeria”.
Dikko reiterated the commitment of the Centre in identifying and breaking the supply chain of the gun runners in Nigeria.
He appealed to help the Centre in the fight against circulation of illicit arms and weapons, saying that “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”.
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