New Telegraph

Security agencies, importers back Reps on law against small arms, light weapons

The move by the House of Representatives to give legal backing to the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons has been applauded by security agencies, including the Defence Headquarters, Nigeria Police, Nigerian Immigration Service and Importers Association of Nigeria (IMAN).

 

The stakeholders declared their support yesterday at a public hearing on; ‘ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and other Related Matters (Ratification and Enforcement) Bill’ in Abuja.

 

First to speak on the bill was the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor who noted that the bill was  the right step in the right direction, considering the security threat proliferation of small arms and light weapons posed to Nigeria.

 

Represented by Air Vice Marshal T. O. Yusuf, the CDS observed that the bill intends to establish an agency with functions duplicative of the National Commission Against the Proliferation of Arms and Light weapons contained in another executive bill before the Parliament.

 

He said: “On the proposed bill, it was well received and it is pertinent to state that DHQ is of the view that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria poses a systemic threat to the nation’s long term socio-economic development as well as security”.

 

In his presentation, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba, supported the enactment of relevant laws and regulations to curtail illicit manufacturing, trafficking and diversion of arms, ammunition and other conventional arms which are major threats to security in the country.

 

Represented by Assistant Inspector General in charge of Armament, Mohammed Lawan, Alkali-Baba said: the Nigerian Police Force encourages law enforcement agencies of ECOWAS member states to support joint action both at international, regional and national level to stamp out the rising illicit traffic link to organized crimes and terrorist activities”

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