The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property across the country as security agencies destroyed 2,819 illicit, decommissioned and unserviceable small arms and light weapons in Abuja.
The destruction exercise, carried out on Thursday by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons at the General Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, brought the total number of illegal weapons destroyed by the centre to 19,000 since its establishment.
Speaking at the event, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said the Tinubu administration remained committed to tackling insecurity through intelligence-driven operations, stronger inter-agency collaboration and efforts to disrupt the financial networks of criminal and terrorist groups.
Ribadu, who was represented by the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, said the proliferation of illegal arms continued to fuel terrorism, insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence across the country.
He noted that every weapon recovered and destroyed represented “a threat permanently neutralised.”
According to him, the Federal Government’s security strategy, implemented with the support of President Bola Tinubu, has recorded significant gains in degrading terrorist networks, strengthening border security and responding to emerging security threats.
“The control and destruction of illicit small arms and light weapons is an essential, and sometimes underappreciated, pillar of this strategy. It complements our kinetic operations by steadily shrinking the pool of weapons available to those who would sow terror or violence in our communities,” he said.
The NSA described the destruction exercise as evidence of the government’s commitment to improving national security and commended the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Johnson Kokumo, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, for working with the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies to recover illegal weapons.
Ribadu stressed that ensuring security was a shared responsibility, urging traditional rulers, religious leaders and citizens to support government efforts by providing relevant information to security agencies.
He assured Nigerians that security agencies would continue to work together to safeguard lives and property nationwide.
“Exercises such as this, conducted openly and transparently, are proof of consistent follow-through, not mere ceremony. Government understands that public confidence is earned through sustained, visible action, and we remain committed to earning it, one milestone at a time,” he said.
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