The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has identified the disruption of illicit arms trafficking across national borders as a critical measure to safeguarding Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Disu stated this in Abuja while declaring open the Small Arms and Light Weapons Identification and Tracing (SALW-IT) Simulation Programme, a five-day initiative running from October 12 to 16, 2026.
The programme brings together law enforcement personnel from 12 African countries to strengthen their capacity to identify, mark, register and trace small arms, light weapons and ammunition.
The participating countries are Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Mali, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Libya, Benin and the Republic of the Congo.
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The IGP noted that the proliferation of illicit firearms poses a significant threat to Nigeria’s electoral process, as such weapons could be used to intimidate voters, harass political opponents, disrupt polling and attack electoral personnel and materials.
He warned that the continued movement of illegal arms through porous borders and established trafficking routes could undermine efforts to ensure peaceful elections, stressing that no country could effectively tackle the menace in isolation.
According to him, effective identification and tracing of recovered weapons would help investigators uncover trafficking networks, identify financiers and establish the routes through which firearms reach criminal groups.
He said disrupting these supply chains ahead of the 2027 general elections would strengthen efforts to protect voters, electoral officials and election materials while supporting a peaceful electoral process.
Beyond electoral security, Disu observed that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons continues to fuel terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts and organised crime across Africa.
He therefore called for stronger regional and continental cooperation through timely intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations and mutual legal assistance to prevent criminals and arms traffickers from exploiting national borders to evade justice.
The IGP also disclosed plans for Inspectors-General of Police from West and East African countries to convene and deliberate on crime-related issues, with a view to developing coordinated approaches to tackling transborder criminal activities.
He said the outcomes of the simulation programme would be extended to frontline police officers through structured training and knowledge-sharing across police commands and formations.
Disu commended the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC), INTERPOL, relevant African Union entities and experts from the German Armed Forces Verification Centre for their technical and institutional support.
He urged participants to take advantage of the training by sharing operational experiences, learning from one another and building professional networks that would strengthen cooperation beyond the programme.
The police chief reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to regional and continental initiatives aimed at controlling the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, pledging continued institutional support and operational collaboration.
The SALW-IT Simulation Programme combines technical instruction with practical exercises, including simulated operational scenarios at the Nigeria Police Simulation Centre in Abuja.
