The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has taken possession of more than 3,000 different categories of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).

The national coordinator of NCCSALW, Abba Dikko, said this in a statement by the centre’s spokesperson, Ewejide Akintunde, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Dikko said SALW, ammunition and other arms-related materials were recovered by the troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), and handed over to the centre on Monday in Port Harcourt.

He said the representatives of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other arms-bearing security agencies witnessed the ceremony.

“The assorted weapons included AK 47 rifles, FN rifles, Beretta rifles, G3 rifles, Pump Action rifles and various brands of pistols.

“Others included Sub-Machine Guns (SMG) and General-Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) as well as locally fabricated Single and Double-Barrel rifles, Pistols, SMGs and ammunition of various calibres,’’ he said.

The coordinator, who was represented by the South-South zonal coordinator for the centre,  Martins Obot, said the takeover was in fulfilment of the centre’s core functions.

He said the centre intends to aggregate all weapons and related materials that have been mopped up from the society and manage the stockpile leading up to its destruction.

He commended the troops and leadership of OPDS for their resilience and the huge successes recorded in curtailing criminal activities and recovery of numerous illicit weapons.

The coordinator also thanked all stakeholders and law-abiding citizens, especially those who have helped provide actionable information leading to the successful arms recovery.

He assured that the NCCSALW remained committed to its duties and focused on delivering its mandate of ensuring an illicit arms-free Nigeria. 

(NAN)