The National Coordinator of the Centre for Small Arms and Light Weapons, Retired Major General Abba Dikko has stated that the misuse of small arms and light weapons have it at the trigger point of security challenges which are affecting development, growth, the economy as well as peace and stability.
General Abba Dikko stated this when he lead a delegation from the National Centre on a courtesy call to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya at the Army Headquarters, Abuja.
For Retired Major General Abba Dikko, a former Commander of Operation Last Hold and former Theatre Commander, OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE now OPERATION HADIN KAI, the visit is a sort of homecoming haven’t retired from the Nigerian Army not so long ago.
He said of all the stakeholders identified for partnership with the national center for the control of small arms and light weapons in the process of reading the Nigerian society of Elicit Arms, the Nigerian Army is the most critical because the institution is the Vanguard on ongoing efforts to bring about security in the country.
The Former Theater Commander said because small arms and light weapons find their way into the hands of unauthorised persons which have been misapplied and misuse leading to series of security challenges.
“The society has become a wash with all calibers of small, arms and light weapons, which has found its way into the hands of unauthorized persons. And in that process, it’s his application and business use has become the recurring decimal, which has lead to the series of frontages that have been open causing all sort of security challenges affecting development, affecting growth, affecting the economy, and affecting peace and stability“ said Abba Dikko.
General Abba Dikko further stated that the Armed Forces, police, the ministry of Justice, the Department of State, and all other security agencies have keyed into the onerous task and have contributed as these services are well represented at the centre.
He also said the institutionalisation of small arms and light weapons control at all levels is important as government decided that all issues relating to the stockpile management of arms and ammunition be centralised through the center.
“The task is to ensure that illicit arms are taking him away from circulation, but also beyond that is to ensure that we strengthen our internal capacity to be able to also encourage those that have the wherewithal and the capacity to develop these calibers of weapons so that we can reduce our reliance on computation of this small arms and light weapons” said the National Coordinator.
The Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya congratulated General Dikko for his appointment and said he was the right person for the job.
The COAS stated further that almost all valid security challenges were orchestrated by the infiltration of small arms as acquisition of such coupled with drug are key causes of violent crimes.
“The spread of these weapons is one of the key causes of violent crimes. All of the violent crimes, even the one in the Northeast, if there are no small arms in their hands, it won’t have been there. These ones that are perpetrating, kidnappings, armed banditry or whatever it is, it’s also Small Arms” said COAS.
The Army Chief further said with Diplomatic approach from the Centre and the National Security adviser, the issues of small arms and light weapons can now be taken up to regional level
It would be recalled that the federal government approved the establishment of the centre for small arms and light weapons earlier in the year domiciled in the office of the National Security Adviser and Retired Major General AM Dikko appointed as its Pioneer Coordinator.
Dominica Nwabufo
