National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has pointed at the spread of illegal small arms and light weapons as a major cause of insecurity and communal violence across Nigeria.
Ribadu stated this at a workshop reviewing lessons from Nigeria’s 2016 National Baseline Survey on Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons held in Abuja
The NSA said illegal weapons were helping to sustain violent crimes in different parts of the country, including banditry in the North-West, farmer-herder and communal conflicts in the North-Central, and terrorism and insurgency in the North-East.
“The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons is not an abstract policy concern; it is a deadly threat to the safety of our people,” Ribadu said. “Behind every statistic on illicit weapons is a community that has lost its peace, a family that has lost a loved one, or a livelihood that has been destroyed.”
According to Ribadu, Nigeria needs reliable and up-to-date data to tackle the problem effectively rather than depend on estimates.
He said the 2016 survey provided useful information about the scale and nature of illegal arms circulation and helped shape government policies, including the creation of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) and the development of a National Action Plan.
He said however, that the country should first review the existing survey before conducting a new one.
“Before we launch into the next National Baseline Survey, we owe ourselves the discipline of an honest review. What worked? What did not? And what must be done differently this time?” he asked.
(Ripples)