Over 16,000 obsolete weapons destroyed since inception – Arms Control Centre

By Kingsley Omonobi

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) says it has destroyed more than 16,000 obsolete, decommissioned and unserviceable weapons since its establishment as part of efforts to curb the proliferation of illicit firearms in Nigeria.

Director-General of the Centre, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Babatunde Kokumo, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Inspector-General of Police at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Kokumo commended the Nigeria Police Force for its contribution to the Centre’s arms disposal programme, revealing that the Force supplied 11,907 illicit, obsolete, decommissioned and unserviceable weapons.

According to him, the weapons comprised 8,438 automatic firearms and 3,489 locally fabricated guns.

“We are pleased to report that the Centre has destroyed over 16,000 obsolete, decommissioned and unserviceable weapons since its inception,” Kokumo said.

He described the proliferation of illicit arms as a major security challenge, noting that such weapons contribute to terrorism, violent extremism and other forms of violent crime.

Kokumo said illicit firearms often originate from porous borders, diversion from government stockpiles and illegal local manufacturing, adding that some locally fabricated weapons have become increasingly sophisticated.

He stressed the need for stronger institutional collaboration between the Centre and the Nigeria Police Force, particularly in armoury management, accountability, intelligence sharing and support for prosecution.

Responding, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Disu, underscored the importance of effective armoury management within the Police Force.

He said proper control, accountability and routine inspections of armouries are critical to national security and called for stricter measures to safeguard weapon storage facilities.

Disu said only trusted personnel should be assigned responsibility for managing police armouries, while regular inspections, audits and inventory checks should be conducted to ensure accountability.

The Inspector-General also stressed the need to tackle the growing challenge of locally manufactured illicit firearms through improved intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration and targeted enforcement against illegal arms manufacturers.

According to him, some locally produced firearms closely resemble imported weapons, making it necessary to intensify efforts to dismantle illegal arms production and reduce the circulation of illicit weapons across the country.

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