Lack of sensitisation has been identified as one of the major reasons why more people are involved in transporting small arms and light weapons to criminal gangs across the country.
The Zonal Director, North Central, of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Mr. Abdul Adamu Enenche, made this known during a visit to the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Minna.
In recent times, many Nigerians have been apprehended with caches of arms and ammunition intended for delivery to bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal elements.
This troubling trend has raised concerns over why some individuals willingly allow themselves to be used as couriers of illegal weapons.
Mr. Enenche said the absence of proper sensitisation on the dangers of arms proliferation, alongside inadequate intelligence sharing by the public, is contributing to the continued spread of weapons.
He also pointed to Nigeria’s porous and poorly managed borders, as well as the activities of local arms fabricators, as major contributors to the proliferation of small arms. According to him, the Centre is working to address these challenges.
While soliciting the support of the NUJ to help the Centre achieve its mandate, the Zonal Director pledged to synergise with other sister agencies for effective arms control.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the NUJ, Niger State Council, Comrade Abu Nmodu, expressed optimism that criminal activities would drastically reduce once the issue of small arms is addressed.
He also urged the Centre to collaborate with the Union, especially in training journalists on its activities.
Some members of the Union who spoke during the visit emphasised the need for the Centre to deploy its officers to rural areas to enhance grassroots intelligence gathering.
By Uthman Baba-Sirajdeen, Minna
