By Emmanuel Onwusoro
Reduction of the growing number of small arms and light weapons in the society calls for the cooperation of every stakeholder.
This was the position of the South-West Zonal Coordinator, National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Mr Sola Akinladi, during a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The event was to mark the International Day for the Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Arms–The Need For Public Participation In Arms – Free Society.
Mr Akinlade noted that what gives anybody power to commit crime is the gun. Hence, the need to mop up the guns and either destroy or profile them to ensure they don’t get back to the society through unpatriotic citizens. He added that it is necessary to report any observed cases of illegal possession of small arms and light weapons to the security agents or the Controlling office.
“We seek collaboration with sister security agencies and other stakeholders to succeed in the fight against proliferation of small arms and light weapons, including ammunition within the zone. With the cooperation of all stakeholders, if the crime is not totally eradicated, it will be reduced to the barest minimum”.
He explained that the Centre at the National level has recovered a large number of arms from the Military and the Nigeria Police. This, according to the zonal head makes it imperative for the media to support the Centre in its advocacy and sensitization drive on the challenge of illicit possession of firearms.
According to the Coordinator, a lot of advocacy and sensitization to mop up a substantial number of the weapons are channelled through the traditional rulers, religious leaders and the media. He said the sensitization is continuous. The Agency also interacts with different elements involved in the proliferation of the weapons to ensure their control. He pointed out, for instance, that if there is no weapon, criminal activities will be so low especially in the campuses.
March 5, every year is the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation awareness aimed at deepening the global public’s understanding on disarmament efforts towards enhancing peace and security, preventing and ending armed conflicts, and curbing human suffering caused by weapons.