The Federal Government has destroyed a total of 3,867 Small and Light Weapons (SALW) in a recent exercise held at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja.
The destruction was overseen by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who was represented by Mr. Asishana Okauru, Special Adviser on Governance and Subnational Liaison at the Office of the NSA.
Retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, Director-General of the National Centre for Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), described the exercise as the fourth in a series that has now become a routine part of the centre’s strategy to reduce illicit weapons in the country.
“Today, a total of 3,867 SALW of various types and calibres were destroyed through an initial burning process followed by smelting of the remaining metal parts,” Kokumo said.
He noted that the centre still holds other recovered and captured illicit weapons undergoing tracing, investigations, and legal processes.
These include arms intercepted by the Nigeria Customs Service at Onne Port and the NAHCO shed at Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, which will be destroyed in future exercises upon completion of legal proceedings.
The DG emphasized that the exercise highlights the risks posed by excess, poorly secured, and illegal firearms and reaffirms the importance of destroying small arms as a key step in curbing their proliferation and misuse.
“This effort reflects the Nigerian Government’s commitment to transparent documentation and destruction of decommissioned, unserviceable, captured, surrendered, and recovered illicit firearms, in line with Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on SALW and the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW,” Kokumo added.
He pledged that the NCCSALW would continue developing innovative strategies aimed at reducing — and ultimately eradicating — illicit arms availability in Nigerian society.
Kokumo also thanked the Service Chiefs and heads of other security and intelligence agencies for releasing the recovered weapons for destruction, expressing confidence in their continued support for the Centre’s mission of creating an illicit arms-free society.
