Centre to destroy 30,132 recovered arms, ammunition

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) is set to destroy 30,132 decommissioned, unserviceable, and illicit arms and ammunition.

The weapons for destruction include 3,383 arms and 26,749 rounds of ammunition, some sourced from arms-bearing government agencies.

National Coordinator of NCCSALW, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, announced the destruction plan on Tuesday during a workshop in Abuja on gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria and West Africa.

The destruction is scheduled for the end of September.

Kokumo explained, “The National Centre has retrieved a total of 3,383 decommissioned, unserviceable, obsolete and illicit small arms and light weapons and 26,749 various calibers of ammunition from the following arms bearing agencies of government; the Defense Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, and the Nigeria Police Force.

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“Others include the Defense Intelligence Agency, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, the Nigerian Security & Civil Defense Corps and the Nigeria Customs Service, amongst others. Later in this quarter, NCCSALW would be conducting an Arms Destruction Exercise which is a critical step in ensuring that recovered arms are permanently removed from circulation.”

He said that controlling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons is a crucial national and international issue, noting their devastating impact on security and particularly on women and children.

Kokumo also stressed the importance of gender mainstreaming in disarmament and security policies, describing it as a strategic necessity.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Ibrahim Babani of the Office of the NSA (ONSA), noted the president’s recent assent to the bill establishing the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Ribadu stated that the legislative backing strengthens the center’s mandate and supports more coordinated action against illegal arms proliferation.