The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu has said that some soldiers and police officers sell arms from their security formations to criminals.
He spoke during the arms destruction exercise organized by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), which took place at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment Giri, Abuja on Thursday.
The NSA condemned security personnel who facilitate the movement of arms to terrorists and other non-state actors, adding that some illicit arms being used to commit crimes in the country originally belonged to the government.
He said the destruction of the recovered and obsolete arms demonstrated the federal government’s commitment to secure a future for all Nigerians.
His words: “We have to find a way of stopping this. If we want to recover our country and live in peace and stability, we must.
“The worst human being is a policeman or a soldier who will take an arm from his own formations and sell it or hide it out for the bad people to come and kill his own colleagues.
“We must fight these people, but also there are merchants of death and evil from outside the world.
“The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remains a major threat to our national security, exacerbating issues such as insurgency, banditry, and other violent crimes.”
He added that the federal government will continue to provide support to the NCCSALW toward ensuring the safety of every Nigerian.
Also speaking, the Director-General of NCCSALW, Johnson Kokomo said the proliferation of small arms poses a great challenge to the fight against insecurity in the country.
He said the exercise would witness the destruction of over 2,400 illicit weapons, comprising a mix of unserviceable, decommissioned, and recovered arms.
Kokomo said, “These weapons have been mopped up by the military, police, and other security agencies across the country.
“By permanently removing these arms from circulation, we reduce the risk they pose to our communities and send a clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate the illegal trafficking and possession of small arms and light weapons.”
