NIGERIA DESTROYS 2,819 SEIZED ILLEGAL WEAPONS IN PUBLIC CRACKDOWN.

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 NIGERIA DESTROYS 2,819 SEIZED ILLEGAL WEAPONS IN PUBLIC CRACKDOWN

ABUJA.

Nigeria's arms control agency destroyed 2,819 illicit, obsolete and decommissioned weapons today in a public exercise aimed at stopping illegal arms from re-entering circulation. 

The destruction was carried out by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, and was witnessed by security chiefs, diplomats and civil society groups in Abuja.

WHY THE DESTRUCTION MATTERS

Agency Chief Johnson Kokumo said the weapons were destroyed "beyond recovery" to ensure they can never be used again. 

Nigeria is currently battling multiple security threats: banditry in the Northwest, kidnappings across the country, a 17-year insurgency in the Northeast, and communal violence in the Middle Belt.

Security officials say the proliferation of illegal weapons is fueling all of them. 7ade

Since the agency was created in 2021, officials said more than 21,000 illicit weapons have been seized Of those, over 19,000 have now been destroyed. 

HOW THE WEAPONS WERE SEIZED

The arms came from different operations:

- Raids by the military and police on bandit camps

- Voluntary surrender programmes in some communities

- Recovery from crime scenes and checkpoints

- Decommissioned weapons from old military stock

Kokumo said the public destruction is meant to send a message to traffickers that seized weapons will not be recycled back into the system through corruption.

LINK TO BIGGER SECURITY PLANS

This comes days after President Tinubu approved an expansion of the Nigerian Army from 8 to 12 divisions, with 28,000 new recruits. Four new divisions will be in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City. 

The government is also rolling out surveillance aircraft and 10,000 community policing officers, as reported earlier this week.

Security experts say destroying illegal arms is important, but the real challenge is stopping new weapons from entering the country through porous borders.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The agency said it will continue monthly mop-up operations and will set up zonal offices to make weapon recovery faster. Traditional rulers were urged to report suspicious arms movement in their communities.