FG Plans New Survey on Illicit Arms

The Federal Government has commenced preparations for a new National Baseline Survey on illicit small arms and light weapons.

The planned survey comes about 10 years after Nigeria conducted its first National Baseline Survey on illicit arms in 2016.

The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja.

Kokumo spoke at a one-day workshop organised by the centre to review lessons from the 2016 survey and discuss preparations for a new exercise.

He said Nigeria’s security environment had changed significantly since the first survey, making it necessary to obtain updated information on the scale and nature of illicit small arms and light weapons in the country.

The new survey is expected to provide current data that will help government and security agencies better understand the proliferation of illegal weapons and develop appropriate responses.

The exercise will also build on lessons learnt from the 2016 baseline survey, with stakeholders expected to identify gaps and improve the methodology for the new assessment.

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons was established to coordinate efforts aimed at controlling the proliferation and circulation of illicit arms across the country.

The planned survey is expected to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and support ongoing national efforts to tackle banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crimes linked to the illegal possession and use of firearms.