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Catholic Bishops have urged governments at all levels to jointly check the influx of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).The clerics’ concerns came on the heels of rising criminality across the country. Recently, Catholic priests and others have become victims of kidnapping and killings by bandits and other criminals in some parts of the country. For instance, a catholic priest in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State was kidnapped.
In the same vein, six other persons were abducted in separate locations in Enugu. Similarly, some security operatives have been killed in some states across the country in recent times. The rising criminality in the country is being fueled by the proliferation of arms by non-state actors and other dubious Nigerians.
The clergymen, who met in a recent retreat in Abuja also enjoined the government at federal and state levels to reduce the rising cost of governance and address deepening poverty and youth unemployment. In a communique at the end of the meeting, the President of the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, denounced the mindless spilling of blood and destruction of property in various communities in the country by hardened criminals and trigger-happy government security operatives.
The Bishops described such bloodletting as an abomination before God. The concerns by the Catholic Bishops also reflect the views of other Nigerians and religious associations over the proliferation of arms. Some years ago, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament warned that Nigeria harboured over 350 million illicit small and light weapons out of about 500 million small and light weapons reportedly circulating in West Africa. Also, the former service chiefs had warned about the dire consequences of unchecked circulation of illegal weapons in the country.
Though arms proliferation is a global issue, available data show that out of over 700 million small and light weapons circulating globally, it is estimated that over 100 million are found in Africa, 30 million in sub-Saharan Africa, and about 10 million in West Africa. Overall, an estimated 60 per cent of these arms and ammunition are reported to be in the hands of civilians, with only 38 per cent in the possession of military operatives.
In August 2018, a ship carrying illegal weapons to Nigeria was detained by the South African authorities. The vessel, which had left Madagascar allegedly bound for Lagos, loaded dangerous cargoes, explosives and weapons, on board worth $3.5million in 20 containers, was stopped near Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province. The federal government must check the unbridled circulation of illegal arms across the country.
The possession of arms by unauthorised persons, groups and individuals is a recipe for anarchy and should be halted forthwith. The menace is a present danger and has far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s sovereignty. The proliferation of illegal weapons has already threatened security in Nigeria and other countries in West Africa. It is also a danger to the socioeconomic development of the country and the welfare of the citizens. Therefore, the government should heed the advice of the Catholic Bishops and put measures in place to check the circulation of illegal weapons.
Some years back, the federal government set up a committee to transform the Presidential Committee on Small and Light Weapons into a National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NATCOM). The plan will quicken the process of checking arms proliferation in Nigeria and also across neighbouring countries. Sadly, government’s efforts in this regard have not yielded the desired results. Recently, operatives of the Nigeria Customs service (NCS) intercepted large consignment of arms at the ports and borders.
In recent weeks, a joint task force of the Department of State Service (DSS), the Police and Civil Defence, have uncovered caches of weapons from criminals in the South-East, North-West and South-South geopolitical zones. In Sokoto and Kano states, no fewer than 1,000 illegal firearms were recovered from bandits.
This is probably why the nation’s insecurity is not abating. The security operatives should go after those behind the importation of illegal arms. Under the law, some of the categories of the arms and ammunition in the hands of non-state actors are totally outlawed. Those involved in the illicit trade should be apprehended and prosecuted.
Millions of Nigerians have deserted their communities as a result of insecurity. We advise security agencies to be more vigilant. This is the time for the relevant government agencies to audit licensed gun-holders and ensure that those who are in possession of unregistered arms are registered within a specified timeframe, in accordance with the law. This is also the right time to ensure that are borders are properly patrolled to check further influx of arms and ammunition. Let ECOWAS leaders work together to wage a relentless war against proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition.
