By Sumaila Ogbaje
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has called for proper management of forfeited arms, preventing them from becoming national security challenge.
Ribadu said this at a One-Day Workshop on Forfeiture/Handling of Small Arms and Light Weapons by Courts After Judgment for Prosecutors of Firearms Cases and Other Stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja.
The event with the theme: “Strengthening procedural approaches for the forfeiture and safe disposal of arms and light weapons”, was organised by National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
Ribadu, who was represented by the Director, Law Enforcement and Liaison, AIG Rex Dundun, said that once arms were seized and designated as forfeited, the assurance that those weapons were properly managed was a priority.
He said of utmost concern should be to ensure that forfeited arms must be securely managed to prevent them from re-entering illegal circulation and pose national security challenge.
He commended the efforts of NCCSALW towards addressing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria as well as its commitment to the safety and security of the nation.
According to him, the workshop will help to address an increasingly complex dimension of our national security framework.
“This gathering today serves as both a call to action and an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s security landscape.
“The National Centre’s proactive initiatives in curbing arms proliferation underscore Nigeria’s dedication to reinforcing our internal security architecture.
“This retreat is a timely intervention, addressing not just a procedural aspect of arms management but a strategic element that impacts our ability to control illicit arms flow effectively.
“Forfeited arms represent a significant national security challenge; once they are seized and designated as forfeited, the assurance that these weapons are securely managed and do not re-enter illegal circulation becomes a priority,” he said.
Earlier, the Director-General of NCCSALW, retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, said the retreat would serves as an essential platform to discuss and strategise on the complex, and evolve legal landscape surrounding the forfeiture and handling of small arms and light weapons by the courts after judgment.
Kokumo said the retreat became necessary especially as the centre had been fully empowered to address the complexities of small arms and light weapons management in Nigeria and beyond as contained in the recently assented National Centre Act, 2024.
He said that courts played crucial role in the legal process surrounding small arms and light weapons, adding that a standard and unified protocol for handling forfeited weapons had remained a gap in the national approach.
According to him, forfeited arms post-judgment are typically handed over to the prosecuting agency – either the Nigeria Police Force or DSS depending on who prosecuted the case, leading to potential inconsistencies in the handling process.
“As a result of these gaps and inconsistencies there is the likelihood that these forfeited arms could fall into the wrong hands.
“This retreat therefore provides a platform to review these practices, aiming to establish a clear and standardised approach that prevents forfeited weapons from inadvertently falling back into the wrong hands.
“Today, we seek to define the roles and responsibilities of the National Centre alongside all stakeholders in managing and retrieving these arms after court judgments,” he said.
The guest speaker, Simon Lough, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the issue of proliferation of small arms and light weapons had been a serious concern, not only to Nigeria, but the whole of West Africa.
Lough said that Nigeria was in the forefront to championing the establishment of a centre to take care of the mop up of all the small arms in circulation to ensure that they were no longer in circulation to constitute threats to national security.
He recommended that all small arms and large weapons recovered and tendered in court be properly channeled to the centre for custody and destruction. (NAN)
