The Director General (D-G) of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, has stated that curbing small arms and light weapons circulation is crucial to reducing violent crimes in Nigeria.
Kokumo made this statement during his working visit to Kaduna, the North West Zonal Office of the NCCSALW.
“The proliferation of small arms and light weapons fuels banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, secessionist agitations, and other forms of crimes in Nigeria,” he noted.
According to Kokumo, no community or society in Nigeria is completely free of crimes and criminal activities. He emphasized that the federal government has identified the root cause and recognizes controlling small arms proliferation as vital to minimizing crime.
The D-G revealed that the NCCSALW retrieved recovered weapons from nearly all arms-bearing agencies in Nigeria, as mandated by law. “Arms bearing agencies are supposed to hand over recovered weapons to the NCCSALW for documentation and profiling, to investigate the sources of the weapons before destruction.”
Kokumo shared, “I assumed leadership of the centre in March 2024, and we destroyed over 2,400 assorted weapons retrieved from arms-bearing agencies.”
He urged stakeholders, especially representatives of arms-bearing agencies, to convey that recovered weapons are not for their keep. Kokumo warned the public about imposters claiming to be responsible for small arms mop-up, noting their leader is currently on prison remand.
The NCCSALW boss thanked the Kaduna state government for support, particularly providing land for the centre’s zonal head office, and acknowledged other stakeholders, including religious/traditional leaders and media.
Earlier, North West Zonal Coordinator AVM Haruna Muhammad (Retired) thanked the D-G for his support, which enabled the zone’s success in recovering small arms. The meeting highlighted the Northwest zone’s activities since its commencement.
