National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Destroy 3,867 Illicit Weapons in Abuja

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has destroyed a total of 3,867 confiscated illicit small arms and light weapons in Abuja, as part of ongoing efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms in the country.

The destruction exercise, held at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Giri, was supervised by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The operation involved an initial burning process, with the remaining metal parts scheduled to be smelted by the Centre.

Director-General of NCCSALW, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) Johnson Kokumo, disclosed that more illicit weapons are still under tracing, investigation, and legal processing. These include arms intercepted at the Onne Port and the NAHCO shed at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, by the Nigeria Customs Service.

“These categories of weapons will be destroyed upon the conclusion of relevant proceedings in subsequent routine destruction exercises,” Kokumo said.

He noted that the destruction of the arms is not only a security measure but also a strong message against the dangers posed by poorly secured weapons. According to him, the exercise is a vital part of the Centre’s strategy to reduce the misuse and spread of firearms across the country.

Kokumo reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to transparency and adherence to international arms control protocols, citing Article 17 of the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and the UN Programme of Action on SALW.

“The Centre will continue to develop innovative strategies to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the availability of illicit arms in our society,” he stressed.

The Director-General commended the Service Chiefs and heads of other security and intelligence agencies for releasing recovered weapons to the Centre for the exercise, describing their collaboration as critical to achieving a weapons-free society.

Thursday’s event marked the fourth in a series of routine arms destruction exercises by the NCCSALW since its inception.