The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) says that Nigeria is accountable for 70 per cent of 11 million illegal arms and light weapons in West Africa.

Alex Ebimiebo, the South-South zonal director of the NCCSALW, made the remark at the Naval Warfare Course 9 Inter-Agency seminar, organised by the Naval War College in Calabar on Thursday.

Mr Ebimiebo presented a paper titled “Strengthening Security Agencies’ Collaboration to Counter Illicit Arms Proliferation for Enhanced National Security in Nigeria”.

He said that the illegal arms dealings were largely responsible for Nigeria’s 2.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 26,000 refugees in neighbouring countries.

Mr Ebimiebo further said that arms proliferation had led to economic distortions, an increase in violence and crime, and an impediment to peace building.

He, however, called for concerted effort from all Nigerians to tackle the menace, saying that NCCSALW would take the fight to society since security is the responsibility of everyone.

“So, as a result, everybody is a stakeholder, so as such, we need to involve the whole society in this fight, and the centre has a lot of programmes for collaboration with our sister agencies.

”We also have advocacy and sensitisation programmes that we take to members of the general public from time to time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Akinola Oludude, commandant of the Naval War College, expressed concern about the influx of illicit arms into Nigeria since 2020.

He attributed this to the extensive borderline of about 4,470 kilometres between Nigeria, the Republic of Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

He also noted that the nation’s maritime domain, which extended over 853 kilometres of coastline and the Gulf of Guinea, had also not helped.

The commandant said that the 2021 survey by the NCCSALW revealed that over six million illegal weapons were in circulation in the country.

Mr Oludude said that out of the figure, about 70 per cent were in the hands of non-state actors.

”The impact of this illicit arms proliferation is profound and multifaceted.

”These weapons bred various forms of insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, and armed robbery.

“Inter-agency collaboration is needed to tackle the proliferation of illicit arms and weapons,” he said.

Mr Oludude said that no single agency, no matter how well-resourced or how well-dedicated, could effectively tackle the complex challenge alone.

He stated that the nature of the recent arms proliferation demanded a joint and multi-agency approach.

“Therefore, this seminar provides a vital platform for us to collectively examine the complexities of this complex challenge,” he said.

Also speaking, the flag officer commanding (FOC), Eastern Naval Command, Kennedy Ezete, urged the participants to translate the discussions and recommendations of the seminar into concrete actions.

He advised the participants to take the knowledge and insights gained to their respective agencies and organisations and implement them

According to him, “We must ensure that the suggestions and way forward developed here are implemented effectively and that the partnerships forged are sustained.

”This requires a commitment from all stakeholders, including the leadership of our security agencies and the wider community.

”Share your experiences, implement the strategies that have been suggested, and continue to work collaboratively to counter illicit arms proliferation. We must also continue to invest in training, technology, and intelligence gathering to enhance our capabilities.”

(NAN)