The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, announced that President Bola Tinubu has assented to the bill establishing the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW). Ribadu disclosed this at a workshop on gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria and the West African sub-region, held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The workshop was organized by the NCCSALW, with Ribadu being represented by the Director of External Affairs at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Ambassador Ibrahim Babani.
Ribadu emphasized that the president’s assent to the bill marks a significant milestone in the government’s efforts to combat the spread of illegal arms. “This legislative backing strengthens the centre’s mandate and paves the way for more coordinated and decisive action,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, noting that the workshop aligned with international frameworks like the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. This resolution emphasizes the protection of women in conflict zones and ensures their participation in peacebuilding and security initiatives.
“Moreover, the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons underscores our collective regional responsibility to curb the spread of these dangerous weapons, which disproportionately affect women and children in conflict zones,” Ribadu said. He stressed that integrating gender perspectives strengthens security strategies and ensures that they are both inclusive and sustainable.
In his opening remarks, the National Coordinator of the NCCSALW, retired Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Johnson Kokumo, outlined the centre’s recent achievements in combating the proliferation of illegal arms. On July 1, the centre retrieved a substantial cache of illegal arms from the Nigeria Customs Service and arrested 10 suspects involved in illicit importation. The suspects are currently being prosecuted for the illegal importation of 544 prohibited firearms and 112,500 rounds of cartridges, in violation of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
Kokumo further revealed that the NCCSALW has recovered 3,383 decommissioned, unserviceable, obsolete, and illicit small arms and light weapons, along with 26,749 rounds of various calibres of ammunition from government agencies. He also announced an upcoming arms destruction exercise later in the quarter to permanently remove these recovered arms from circulation.
“The illegal flow of small arms and light weapons has devastating consequences, fueling violence, instability, and insecurity worldwide,” Kokumo said, emphasizing the need for international collaboration on this issue. He also highlighted that incorporating gender perspectives in the control of small arms is not only a moral responsibility but a strategic necessity, given the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and children.
“This workshop is a critical step toward integrating gender perspectives into national and regional strategies for the control of small arms and light weapons,” Kokumo concluded.
