The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Johnson Kokumo, has said that poor armoury management and diversion of state-owned weapons are major drivers of insecurity in West Africa.

Mr Kokumo spoke on Friday in Abuja at the graduation of a capacity development programme on arms, physical security and stockpile management, organised in collaboration with the HALO Trust and supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

He said investigations and institutional assessments had identified porous borders, illicit local production, and leakage from official stockpiles of security agencies as key sources of small arms proliferation in Nigeria and the sub-region.

According to him, the diversion of weapons from government armouries remains the most worrisome challenge, noting that arms procured for national security were increasingly finding their way into criminal networks due to weak controls and accountability gaps.

“The most concerning source of proliferation remains haemorrhages from illicit stockpiles of arms-bearing agencies of government,” he said.

Mr Kokumo stressed that strengthening armoury management systems and enhancing personnel capacity remained critical to addressing the trend, adding that the centre had intensified training across security institutions to improve record-keeping, storage standards, and weapons tracking.

He said the training programme was designed to build sustainable capacity among arms officers and promote best practices in physical security and stockpile management.

The NCCSALW boss commended HALO Trust for its technical support in delivering the programme, describing its global expertise in arms and ammunition management as “invaluable”.

He also appreciated the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its sustained support of arms control and disarmament initiatives across Africa, noting that such partnerships were essential to strengthening regional security architecture.

Mr Kokumo urged the graduating participants to apply the knowledge acquired in their respective formations, warning that effective arms management was central to national security and public safety.

“You are returning as agents of change.

“Nigeria is counting on you to enforce accountability and professionalism in arms management,” he said.

He reaffirmed NCCSALW’s commitment to continuous capacity-building and the strengthening of institutional frameworks to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the region.

In his remarks, the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ben Van Novich, reaffirmed the country’s commitment to strengthening arms control and security cooperation in Nigeria.

The Dutch ambassador, represented by the first secretary (policy affairs), Dene Traore, said the training was aimed at improving professionalism, accountability and efficiency in weapons and ammunition management systems across security agencies.

He said the initiative, supported in collaboration with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, was critical to strengthening security structures, building trust between communities and security agencies, and preventing diversion of small arms and light weapons into criminal hands across Nigeria and the wider West African region.

The country director of HALO Trust, Richard Goss, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to strengthening the physical security of arms and stockpile management as a key step toward reducing violence and enhancing regional stability.

Mr Goss said the training reflected a shared commitment to building institutional capacity across Africa, noting that improved weapons management systems would help prevent diversion of arms into criminal hands.

He commended participants for their discipline and professionalism, urging them to apply the knowledge gained at their respective institutions, and appreciated partners, including the University of Melbourne, for their technical support in strengthening the programme. 

(NAN)