Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Garrison Commander 82 Division Nigerian Army, Enugu, Brig-Gen. MM Abu, has said that the number of weapons in unauthorised hands in Nigeria was alarming.
He said this on Thursday at a one day seminar on the control of proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
The seminar was organised by the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALWS), South-East. Zonal Office, Enugu.
He said: “The number of weapons outside is very alarming.
“We need to take out these weapons in our midst; we need solutions; we need to think out of the box; so we can take away these weapons.”
Abu, who represented the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division, Maj-Gen. Hassan Dada, said taking away the weapons from the non-state actors would solve insecurity challenges in the country.
He described the theme of the seminar, “Multi Sectoral Synergy Towards the Control of Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria,” as timely and imperative.
He called for more synergy and inter-agency communication by different security agencies to tackle the menace and retrieve weapons in the hands of criminal elements in the society.
In the same vein, Mr Onyeamu Akaeme, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Operations, Nigeria Police Command Enugu, said the police was in the forefront of fighting the menace of proliferation of weapons.
Akaeme, who represented CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, said the proliferation of weapons was fueling criminality across the country, adding that most of the arms were smuggled from neighboring countries.
He called for engagement with Nigerian manufacturers and political actors as part of stakeholders engagement to find solution to the menace.
“I want to say that we should engage our manufacturers to tap from their expertise in a positive way for the good of our country.
“Engage our political leaders and their followers through sensitisation programmes,” he said.
The Enugu zonal commander of the center, Retired Maj. Gen. Okechukwu Ugoh, said the menace of the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons was directly responsible for much of the untold human suffering in the country.
“It is important to mention that these weapons on their own do not cause conflict.
“Rather, it is the easy access to them and the recklessness of their use that make violence more lethal and conflicts more protracted,” he said.
According to him, “SALW have become weapons of choice for criminals, terrorists and bandits in Nigeria and beyond.
“Posing a significant challenge to our dear country especially in the wake of many crises that have engulfed our Geo-political Zone and the nation at large.
