The Federal Authorities has destroyed a complete of three,867 Small and Gentle Weapons (SALW) in a current train held on the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja.
The destruction was overseen by the Nationwide Safety Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who was represented by Mr. Asishana Okauru, Particular Adviser on Governance and Subnational Liaison on the Workplace of the NSA.
Retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, Director-Basic of the Nationwide Centre for Management of Small Arms and Gentle Weapons (NCCSALW), described the train because the fourth in a collection that has now turn out to be a routine a part of the centre’s technique to cut back illicit weapons within the nation.
“At the moment, a complete of three,867 SALW of assorted sorts and calibres had been destroyed by way of an preliminary burning course of adopted by smelting of the remaining metallic components,” Kokumo mentioned.
He famous that the centre nonetheless holds different recovered and captured illicit weapons present process tracing, investigations, and authorized processes.
These embody arms intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service at Onne Port and the NAHCO shed at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, which will likely be destroyed in future workouts upon completion of authorized proceedings.
The DG emphasised that the train highlights the dangers posed by extra, poorly secured, and unlawful firearms and reaffirms the significance of destroying small arms as a key step in curbing their proliferation and misuse.
“This effort displays the Nigerian Authorities’s dedication to clear documentation and destruction of decommissioned, unserviceable, captured, surrendered, and recovered illicit firearms, consistent with Article 17 of the ECOWAS Conference on SALW and the UN Programme of Motion to Stop, Fight and Eradicate the Illicit Commerce in SALW,” Kokumo added.
He pledged that the NCCSALW would proceed creating progressive methods aimed toward lowering — and in the end eradicating — illicit arms availability in Nigerian society.
Kokumo additionally thanked the Service Chiefs and heads of different safety and intelligence companies for releasing the recovered weapons for destruction, expressing confidence of their continued help for the Centre’s mission of making a bootleg arms-free society.