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Since its independence, corruption and illegal firearms have continued to shake the foundation of Nigeria’s existence. Regrettably, nothing had changed despite noticeable efforts from all quarters to eradicate corruption and stop illegal acquisition and importation of firearms which is the root of past and current spate of insecurity in and around the country. Infact, both corruption and insecurity are twins that need to be deleted from our national vocabulary. Apart from the Nigeria police effort to curtail insecurity with the military, other security agencies like the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), National drug and Law Enforcement Agency, Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria lmmigration service and other security agencies that are constitutionally mandated to protect the lives and property of every Nigerian.
The issue of illegal gun in the hands of unauthorized persons dates back to when blacksmiths were mouldimg locally fabricated guns which were used mainly for political hooliganism and thuggery. This act was improved upon as refined guns were imported through the loosed borders of the country. With the short guns, Nigeria started witnessing high way robbery and later home robbery.
As the country progress, the turning point for increased insecurity was the Nigerian civil war which witnessed mass influx of firearms in the hands of ordinary citizens and security personels many unaccounted for while some of the civilians turned theirs against others under the cover of armed robbery which became rampant across the country. Security agencies where stretch to their limit as neighbouring armed criminals invaded many states in the country unleashing terror.
Record has it that criminality of terror in various dimensions became Nigerias albatross as these firearms are deployed to kidnap innocent citizens, kill and main people and inflict pain on other harmless people. It is rather worrying that political leaders and security chiefs have not been able to muster enough will power to expose those behind these dastardly act of importing illegal firearm and hard drugs by creating a window for security and crime reporters to have a field day by further probing and extracting more information that would further assist security personels and help to deter others.
Many years back, this writer had secured an official permission from the former inspector General of Police, Alhaji lbrahim Coomassie (Now late) to interview every arrested notorious armed robber around the country for special publication in the now defunct National Concord newspaper. Ofcourse, the collated materials were eventually used to produce a book titled “ Dark Clouds: Confessions of notorious armed robbers in Nigeria”. The book launch was graced by able representatives of the former Governor of Lagos State Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Abuja. Such exposure helped to curb the rate of armed robbery in the country.
When criminals are exposed and shamed, it deters others to indulge in such criminal acts.
Meanwhile millions of illegal firearms are being proliferated by unlicensed people across the country. According to a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), who raised an alarm over the proliferation of weapons in the country, noting that an estimated six million illegal arms are in circulation in the country. He further added, “There is proliferation of all calibre of very dangerous and sophisticated weapons not only in our sub-region in general but in Nigeria in particular and this is very worrying .”
Infact, it seems there are easy means and ways to access these firearm and these are the causes of every shade of insecurity around the country which are overwhelming our already fatigued soldiers whom we have inadventendly exposed to many ‘war’ sectors which ordinarily would have been handled by security agencies that are constitutionally mandated to handle such internal criminality. Records abound on how patriotic and gallant 6 different makes of pistols namely: two (2) Sar9 Sarsilmarz Pistols; one (1) Ruger American Pistol and three (3) Taurus G3c – Bainbridge Pistols).
Twelve (12) different makes of riffles namely; five (5) Rz17hd Rifles; one (1) Gamo Rifle, five (5) Pump Action Rifles and one (1) Rz17 Tactical Rifle). Ten (10) packets of cartridges.
Two (2) packets of 9mm ammunition.
One hundred (100) rounds of 9mm Winchester ammunition. One (1) carton of Frontier cartridges and Two (2) packets of Buckshot ammunition. I’m the same spirit, Customs officers show that they are truely on top of the war for instance, during a routine Patrol along Owode/Ajilete Axis of Ogun State by Officers of the Joint Border Patrol Team Sector, intercepted an unregistered Toyota Camry loaded with six sacks of charcoal, which was used to conceal three (3) pump action riffles with 174 live cartridges.
The question is, who imported these rifles and ammunitions and what purpose are they to serve? They are either for criminal purposes like robbery, kidnapping, political attacks and other ethnic unrest. All the political thuggery and other acts of criminality gain strength because firearms are introduced while illicit drugs are used to fuel or propel the use of the firearm. No wonder the volume of illicit drug substance that find their way into the shores of Nigeria are surprisingly alarming. Indeed, the use of illicit drugs among our youths are becoming rather frightening that operatives of the National drug and law enforcement agency (NDLEA) were able to track down blind men who were used by drug barons to traffic drugs from one state to another in order to cover their tracks from operatives.
Both illegal firearms and illicit drugs and corrupt practices are the canker worms that are eating deep into the fabric of the existence of Nigeria. One of the noticeable bane of the country, is corruption. Ask a school pupil to buy something across the road for you and he or she would have personally increased the price and would even be swearing just because he or she wants to swindle you of few coins. Same, when you have a break down car, our youths no longer exhibit milk of human kindness. Everything is money and the love for money, our elders say, is the root of all evil including corruption.
Such corrupt practices being exhibited by our children are the true reflection of the larger society and if this is not immediately curbed, then the country may be sliding into a perpetual moral decadence while all the great virtues associated with her may be wanting. More so the country may be sitting on the keg of corruption and illegal firearms and that are loaded with ammunitions and explosives, which if not checked may spell doom to the country.
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CONGRATULATION
SECURITY FILE wishes to congratulate one of our avid reader Mr Jonas Agwu who was elevated to the enviable rank of Assistant Corps Marshal) (ACM)
