The South West Zonal Director, National Center For The control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), CP Abiodun Alamutu (rtd), has stated that about five million illegal arms are in circulation in the country.
Alamutu stated this while speaking with newsmen on the sideline of a one day seminar organised by the National Center For The control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), South West zone, with the Theme, ‘Effective Post-Judgement Management of Small Arms and Light Weapons’ held in Abeokuta.
The illegal fire arms, according to Alamutu are the major enabler of insecurity and banditry in the country, adding that there is need for concerted efforts to mop them up with various stakeholders being involved.
“So far, we have discovered that the major enabler of insecurity, banditry, terrorism in the country is the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. And we have equally discovered that a large chunk of these arms are in the hands of non-state actors.
“And that explains why we want to now shift our focus to mopping up of those illicit arms that are already in circulation. The bulk of the successes we have recorded has been at the border points, those that are about to come into our society. And we have made tremendous successes in that.
“But now, we want to divert our attention into mopping up those that are already in circulation. That is why we require the active collaboration of stakeholders, traditional rulers, NGOs, community leaders to talk into the minds of these criminals so that those that will involuntarily bring out these arms will”, he said.
Delivering a paper at the seminar, a security expert, Dr. Kunle Olawunmi called for timely dispensation of justice for Small Arms and Light Weapons cases, advocating for a maximum of six months trial period for offenders
Olawunmi, the Head Of Department, International Relations and Diplomacy, Chrisland University Abeokuta, reteriates that a quick justice system for SALW cases will avert case loss due to routine transfer of police officers
He noted that Nigeria must begin by adopting a national post-judgement SALW protocol with defined roles, timelines and documentation templates, in furtherance of its’ safe justice system.
“Nigeria’s SALW problem is not only border or battlefield. It is also governance and criminal justice. Post -judgement mismanagement can undo the gains made through arrests, prosecutions and adjudications.
“The 2024 Act strengthens the legal basis for registration, storage, stockpile management, and destruction, but legal text alone will not secure weapons.
“The core operational requirements is a closed, auditable chain from court order to final disposition”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, in his remarks, called for a structured system across states to ensure timely collection and transfer of seized arms to the center.
“We have many of these arms that have been recovered and they are in the police armories. I feel that the center should devise another avenue to mop up these weapons immediately”, he added.
