President Bola Tinubu has assented to the bill for the establishment of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, made this known at the Workshop on Gender Mainstreaming in Preventing the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria and the West African Sub-region in Abuja on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

The NSA said Tinubu’s assent to the bill was a major milestone in the government’s commitment to curbing the proliferation of illegal arms.

Ribadu, who was represented by the Director of External Affairs at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Amb. Ibrahim Babani, said the legislative backing strengthens the centre’s mandate and paves the way for more coordinated and decisive action.

He also stressed the need for gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country, adding that the workshop was anchored in key international frameworks, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.

According to him, the resolution emphasises the critical need to protect women from the impacts of conflict while also ensuring their full participation in peacebuilding and security initiatives.

The NSA said: “Moreover, the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons underscores the collective responsibility of our region in curbing the spread of these dangerous weapons, which disproportionately affect women and children in conflict zones.

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“The importance of gender mainstreaming in preventing the proliferation of SALW cannot be overstated as it strengthens our strategies, and ensures that our approach to security is inclusive and sustainable.”

Ribadu commended the centre for its efforts towards addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.

In his opening remarks, the National Coordinator of NCCSALW, DIG Johnson Kokumo (Rtd), said the centre has in recent times made some significant achievements in the fight against the illegal proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

Kokumo said the centre, on July 1, retrieved a substantial cache of illegal arms from the Nigeria Customs Service and subsequent arrest of 10 suspects involved in the illicit importation.

He said the suspects were currently being prosecuted by the NCCSALW for illegal importation into Nigeria, prohibited 544 Firearms and 112,500 rounds of cartridges contrary to Section 3 (6) of Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 among other offences.

The Star