President Bola Tinubu has been urged to sign into law the bill establishing the National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Adejare Adegbenro, the new acting director-general of NATCOM made the call on Sunday.

“We want our president to give assent to the establishment bill to give us legal backing; a lot of people looking for employment are just waiting for us to take off,” he said.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Mr Adegbenro said the bill, which had passed all legislative processes in the National Assembly, when assented to, would give legal backing to the activities of the commission.

The acting director-general said the commission was in tandem with the ECOWAS Commission aimed at battling illegal arms, ammunition, small arms and chemical weapon importation.

“We are suffering insecurity in Nigeria as a result of the illegal importation of arms and ammunition, which we, in collaboration with other states, try to minimise or eradicate it.

“We want the new government and the incoming 10th National Assembly to embrace us and give us all the necessary backing.”

Following his assumption of office, Mr Adegbenro said he was committed to the commission’s mandate.

According to him, the commission intends to employ at least 7000 youths within the first 100 days in each state when the bill is signed into law.

The acting director-general said the commission would work with state governors and traditional leaders to get to the ward level to stern the proliferation of arms.

“We will go from the top down to everyone, even the fishermen, to comply with the ECOWAS treaty of 2006, to which Nigeria is a signatory.

“We will ensure that in the next 100 days, there will be a lot of seizures from importers, sellers and hoarders.

“We will track ammunition via the barcode to the manufacturers, then to the shipping agents until the cartel are apprehended,” he said.

Fidel Agabaidu, secretary-general of the Council of State Directors and Commandants, said the council resolved and passed a vote of no confidence in the former director-general, Baba Mohammed, for alleged administrative malfeasance.

He said that the council also resolved and rectified the appointment of Mr Adegbenro as acting director-general of the commission.

(NAN)