The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), in collaboration with the Small Arms and Light Weapons Community Development Service (SALWCDS) and the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), has launched an awareness campaign on the proliferation of small arms at the Abujan Mai Mala IDP camp and the Mohammad Gombe farming community.

The joint initiative focuses on addressing small arms proliferation, as well as providing hygiene education and food support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups across the six states in the region.

The North-East Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Maj-Gen. Abubakar Adamu (rtd), represented by his Assistant on Strategic Communication and Information, urged IDPs to sustain love, peace and unity despite the impact of conflict on their communities.

The campaign, themed “Promoting Health and Peace in Our Communities”, is aimed at tackling the spread of unlawful weapons and enhancing safety in affected areas.

The Team Leader of SALWCDS, Bulus Seth Kazachat, said the initiative seeks to educate displaced communities on the dangers of small arms, promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and provide essential support.

He said: “Our expectation is that after sensitising them on the risks, they are to report any suspicious activity.

“If they see anyone wielding unlawful weapons, they should notify the military and other security agencies in their respective communities for prompt action.

“We are also striving to improve their situation, but we cannot do it alone with state aid. Thankfully, SEMA in Yobe is also supporting our efforts, but we are appealing to the authorities for more assistance.”

Kazachat added: “Our aim is to assess how we, alongside other security personnel, can stop the illegal influx of weapons into Nigeria.”

“The harm that guns and light arms have inflicted on the land is clearly evident in most of the conflict-affected communities in Borno, Adamawa, Gombe and Yobe states.”