THE Federal Government has destroyed more than 13,000 illicit and obsolete firearms across the country in the last four years, as part of sustained efforts to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons fueling insecurity.
News Point Nigeria reports that the disclosure was made on Thursday by the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, during the centre’s fifth arms destruction exercise held at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja.
Kokumo revealed that 1,316 assorted weapons were destroyed at the event, pushing the cumulative number of firearms eliminated by the centre since 2021 to over 13,230.
“Weapon destruction is now being conducted as a routine exercise by the centre. Its importance in promoting an illicit-arms-free society and enhancing Nigeria’s national security cannot be overemphasised,” Kokumo told attendees.
He stressed that the exercise was not merely a symbolic show of burning or crushing weapons, but a demonstration of transparency, accountability, and commitment to ensuring illicit arms never re-enter circulation.
The NCCSALW boss underscored that the destruction of arms aligns with Nigeria’s regional and global treaty obligations.
“What we are doing today is not just destroying weapons but also fulfilling our commitments under Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on SALW and the United Nations Programme of Action on illicit arms,” Kokumo explained.
He added that beyond domestic efforts, Nigeria is strengthening partnerships to counter arms trafficking across its porous borders.
“Beyond ECOWAS, we are engaging Chad and Cameroon to stem the tide of cross-border arms trafficking. These engagements are already yielding results,” he said.
The weapons destroyed included: arms seized during counter-terrorism and anti-banditry operations, obsolete firearms withdrawn from the armed forces and police armouries, and surrendered or recovered weapons handed over by other security agencies.
Kokumo reiterated that the centre would continue routine arms destruction exercises to reinforce stability, peace, and security in Nigeria.
