The Federal Government has destroyed more than 13,000 illegal and obsolete firearms as part of its ongoing campaign against the spread of small arms and light weapons across the country.
The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, disclosed this during the centre’s fifth arms destruction exercise held on Thursday at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Giri, Abuja.
According to Kokumo, a total of 1,316 assorted weapons were crushed at the event, raising the overall number of firearms destroyed since 2021 to over 13,230.
“Weapon destruction is now being conducted routinely by the centre. Its importance in promoting an illicit-arms-free society and enhancing Nigeria’s national security cannot be overemphasised,” he said.
Kokumo explained that the exercise was more than just burning weapons, stressing that it symbolised transparency and accountability.
“Today, we have gathered to witness the destruction of unserviceable, as well as captured illicit small arms and light weapons, which have been mopped up through kinetic operations by the military and other security agencies,” he added.
He further noted that the exercise was in line with Nigeria’s obligations under both regional and international treaties. “What we are doing today is not just destroying weapons but also fulfilling our commitments under Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and the United Nations Programme of Action on illicit arms,” Kokumo stated.
Highlighting ongoing collaborations, the NCCSALW boss revealed that the centre was working closely with neighbouring countries to tackle cross-border trafficking. “Beyond ECOWAS, we are engaging Chad and Cameroon to stem the tide of cross-border arms trafficking, and these engagements are already yielding results,” he said.
The destroyed weapons included firearms recovered during counter-terrorism and anti-banditry operations, obsolete arms from the armed forces, and weapons voluntarily surrendered by other law enforcement agencies.
Kokumo assured that the centre would continue routine destruction of illicit arms as part of efforts to secure Nigeria’s stability.