Ayo Baje
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other.”-William Shakespeare ( Macbeth )
Let us begin with the pertinent questions: How do you feel about getting to know that
Nigeria currently accounts for 70% of the 11 million illegal arms and light weapons in West Africa, as made available by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW)?
And what is your response to the fact that illegal arms dealings are largely responsible for Nigeria’s 2.2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 26,000 refugees in neighbouring countries, as revealed by Mr Alex Ebimiebo, the South-South Zonal Director of the NCCSALW? He added that arms proliferation has also led to economic distortions, an increase in violence, crime, and an impediment to peacebuilding. He was the man who raised alarm over Nigeria accounting for 70 per cent of illegal arms in the Subregion. Shocked and sad, one must admit.
From whatever perspective you periscope the scary and sordid situation, the proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition has acted as a catalyst to all manner of terrorism. These include those whose heinous crimes against humanity have made it possible for the United States President Donald Trump to accuse Nigeria of “Christian Genocide” and tag it a Country of Particular Concern ( CPC). Amongst them are the Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits, armed Fulani herders, kidnappers, Lakurawa and the new Mahmuda insurgents who keep unleashing horror and havoc on their defenceless victims. That is so in the mineral-rich states of Zamfara and Plateau, in addition to the fertile fields of Benue and Ondo. In addition,
Illegal weapons are also made available to the IPOB members in the South-East geo-political zone, and the oil thieves in the oil-rich Niger-Delta, South-South zone. But what really are the factors that have fuelled their proliferation and use?
So far, experts on security have identified both corruption and poor governance as the bane to small arms proliferation in Nigeria. Others include unemployment and poverty in the country. These elements have contributed significantly to arms proliferation in Nigeria. But there are other root causes of the menace.
Let us name and shame them: The insatiable Greed to hang on to the perquisites of plundering political power at all costs-to serve the self instead of the state, akin to what William Shakespeare described as the vaulting ambition that rises but falls on the other side. There is also the pervasive crass culture of impunity identified as a causative factor. One is talking about the monster of impunity roaring in a dysfunctional political structure. That is precisely one that is skewed and
abysmally so in favour of the rotten-rich ruling elite that keeps recycling itself from one cloudy election season to another. That perhaps explains why the sins of some politicians are miraculously wiped off once they defect from one craftily destroyed party to seek protection under the widening wings of another.
Worse still is the gross disregard for the sanctity of priceless and irreplaceable human life. Imagine the killing spree going on in some states up north while their governors are busy openly negotiating with the bandits! Is the life of the victims not important?
That means that the identification and mass mopping of such weapons has become a must.
That was highlighted by Ebimiebo, who reportedly remarked at the Naval Warfare Course 9 Inter-Agency seminar, organised by the Naval War College in Calabar, not long ago. He presented a paper titled: “Strengthening Security Agencies’ Collaboration to Counter Illicit Arms Proliferation for Enhanced National Security in Nigeria.”
He, however, called for a holistic approach from all Nigerians to tackle the insecurity challenge, saying that NCCSALW would take the fight to society, as security is the responsibility of everyone of us.
Similarly, Rear Adm. Akinola Oludude, Commandant of the Naval War College, has expressed concern about the influx of illicit arms into Nigeria since 2020. These he attributed 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 not helped either.
In light of this, it is good to note that President Bola Tinubu has signed a bill establishing the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. The bill provides legislative support for the centre, which has been operational since 2021, enhancing its mandate to address the illegal flow of arms and improve security across the country. As the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu highlighted, the importance of this new legislation is in tackling violence and instability, particularly by enforcing international agreements such as the ECOWAS Convention. Achievements to date include recovering illegal firearms and prosecuting suspects.
Implications of illegal arms proliferation in Nigeria.
In terms of solutions, we need to involve the whole society in this fight against the challenge of arms proliferation. Since the NCCSALW centre has a lot of programmes for collaboration with sister agencies, with advocacy and sensitisation programmes, members of the general public should be frequently enlightened. As Oludude highlighted, there should be inter-agency collaboration to tackle the proliferation of arms because
no single agency, regardless of its resources or dedication, could effectively tackle the complex challenge alone.
Of significance is the need for the government to continue to invest in training, technology, and intelligence gathering. All of these will boost the capability of the security agencies to do away with illegal arms and ammunition. That is as rightly suggested by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Kennedy Ezete
As the 2027 general election inches closer by the day and so much attention is focused on it, concerted efforts should be on to forestall violence by walking the talk on identifying and seizing illegal arms and ammunition. With the revelation made in the 2021 survey by the NCCSALW that over six million illegal weapons were in circulation in the country, and the United States’ attention on killings in the country, now is the time for President Tinubu to muster the political will to bring all the sponsors of terrorism to prompt prosecution and speedy justice
