The Economic Community of West African States has warned member states against the diversion of lawfully acquired weapons and ammunition from authorised stockpiles for illicit purposes.

The Acting Head of the ECOWAS Small Arms Division, Abayomi Adeomi, gave the warning during a five-day training on physical security, stockpile management and property management for national security in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The training, organised by the ECOWAS Small Arms Division in collaboration with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies, brought together personnel from the Nigerian Army, Police, Air Force, Navy and other paramilitary agencies.

Adeomi said West Africa’s interconnected security challenges required efforts to address not only cross-border arms trafficking but also the diversion of weapons from authorised national stockpiles.

He stressed the importance of accurate inventories, routine inspections, safe handling procedures and properly trained personnel, as well as the timely destruction of surplus and decommissioned weapons.

Meanwhile, the South-South Zonal Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Alex Inemo Ebimiebo, said the centre had destroyed more than 17,000 unserviceable, obsolete and decommissioned weapons and over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunition since its establishment.

Ebimiebo said proper documentation and destruction of decommissioned arms would help prevent them from returning to circulation and reduce the risk of diversion.

Also speaking, the General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General E.I. Okoro, warned that poor stockpile management could increase the risk of theft, diversion, unauthorised access and accidental explosions.

He said stronger physical security and stockpile management were essential to reducing the risks associated with the storage and handling of weapons and ammunition.