FG Destroys Recovered Weapons, Vows to Track Arms Traffickers

The Federal Government has destroyed 2,819 illicit and decommissioned small arms and light weapons in Abuja, bringing the total number of illegal weapons permanently removed from circulation to about 19,000. Authorities said the exercise forms part of ongoing efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms fueling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country.

The destruction exercise, organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, involved weapons recovered by the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. Officials described the process as a transparent and irreversible step towards improving national security.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the NCCSALW, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, said every weapon destroyed represents one less tool available to criminals and terrorists. He revealed that more than 21,000 illicit, obsolete and unserviceable weapons have been recovered since the Centre was established, warning that all illegally possessed firearms would eventually be traced and destroyed.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, described the exercise as a major milestone in the country's fight against insecurity. He stressed that simply recovering weapons was not enough, noting that public and verifiable destruction prevents seized arms from finding their way back into criminal circulation through theft, negligence or compromise.

The Federal Government also urged Nigerians to support security agencies by reporting the illegal possession, manufacture and trafficking of firearms. It reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling illicit arms networks through intelligence-led operations, stronger inter-agency collaboration and sustained efforts to keep illegal weapons out of circulation.