National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has revealed that a significant number of illicit weapons used by terrorists and bandits in Nigeria were originally owned by the Federal Government.
Ribadu made this disclosure during the Arms Destruction Exercise organized by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) at the Office of the National Security Adviser on Thursday in Abuja.
He attributed the proliferation of these weapons to corrupt practices within the nation’s security agencies, which allowed arms to fall into the wrong hands.
Despite this challenge, Ribadu expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to address its security concerns, emphasizing the government’s commitment to tackling illegal arms circulation and improving national security.
The exercise is part of ongoing efforts by the NCCSALW to curb the spread of small arms and light weapons, which have worsened insecurity across the country.
Ribadu said: “We have to find a way to stop this. If we want to recover our country and live in peace and stability, we must act. The worst human being is a policeman or soldier who takes arms from his own formations and sells them or hides them for bad people to use in killing his colleagues.
“We must fight these people, but there are also merchants of death and evil from outside the country. The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remains a major threat to our national security, exacerbating issues such as insurgency, banditry, and other violent crimes.”
The NSA stated that the federal government is committed to supporting the centre to ensure the safety of every Nigerian. He mentioned that by destroying unserviceable, obsolete, and recovered arms, they are demonstrating their commitment to a secure future for all Nigerians.
“All illicit arms, not only unserviceable ones, must be destroyed. Any weapon that is obtained illegally must be completely eradicated.”
“We have laws that govern the ownership of small arms. If you do not follow them, it becomes an illegal weapon and should be destroyed completely,” he added.
Director-General of the NCCSALW, Johnson Kokumo, said the arms destruction exercise was the third in a series since the centre was established and the first since his assumption of office.
Mr. Kokumo, a retired deputy inspector-general of police, said the challenge posed by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) was one of the major threats to peace and security in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
He added that more than 2,400 illegal weapons—a combination of decommissioned, recovered, and unusable arms—would be destroyed during the exercise.
“These weapons have been collected by the military, police, and other security agencies across the country. By permanently removing these arms from circulation, we reduce the risk they pose to our communities and send a clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate the illegal trafficking and possession of small arms and light weapons.”
“It is also important to state that the National Centre has in its custody some recovered or captured illicit SALW still undergoing tracing as well as investigations and legal processes.
“These include illicit weapons handed over to the centre by the Nigeria Customs Service. These categories of weapons will be destroyed once the proceedings are completed during subsequent routine destruction exercises,” he said.
