By Uzair Adam
The federal government has finalized arrangements to destroy seized illicit arms and ammunition from various criminals by the end of September.
Additionally, outdated, decommissioned, and unserviceable weapons submitted by law enforcement agencies will be permanently removed from circulation.
During a workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), revealed that on July 1, 2024, a substantial cache of illegal arms was recovered from the Nigeria Customs Service.
Investigations led to the arrest of 10 suspects involved in the illicit arms importation, and they are currently undergoing prosecution.
Kokumo also disclosed that NCCSALW has retrieved a total of 3,383 decommissioned and unserviceable small arms and 26,749 rounds of various ammunition.
An arms destruction exercise will be held later this quarter to ensure these weapons are permanently removed from circulation.
The workshop, focusing on gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria and West Africa, was attended by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, represented by his Director of External Affairs, Ibrahim Babani.
Ribadu noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had signed a bill aimed at curbing the spread of small arms and light weapons across the country.