The Federal Government on Thursday destroyed 2,819 illicit and decommissioned small arms and light weapons in Abuja, bringing the total number of illegal weapons permanently removed from circulation in Nigeria to about 19,000.
The destruction exercise, organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, is part of ongoing efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal arms fueling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country.
Speaking during the exercise, the Director-General of the NCCSALW, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, described the destruction as “a deliberate, verifiable and irreversible act of national security.”
Kokumo said the 2,819 weapons destroyed were either illegally acquired or had been decommissioned and rendered unserviceable, ensuring they could never again be used for criminal activities.
“Every weapon that goes into these flames today is a weapon that can never again be used to threaten a community, disrupt a market, waylay a traveller, or arm a criminal or terrorist enterprise,” he said.
According to him, the Centre has recovered more than 21,000 illicit, obsolete and unserviceable weapons since its establishment, with about 19,000 now permanently destroyed following Thursday’s exercise.
He noted that the Nigeria Police Force contributed the largest number of recovered weapons destroyed under the programme, releasing 11,907 automatic firearms and locally fabricated weapons seized during operations nationwide. He also commended the Armed Forces, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies for supporting the initiative.
Kokumo warned illegal arms traffickers that every illicit weapon in circulation would eventually be recovered and destroyed.
“To those who traffic in illicit arms, the weapons you move will, in time, be found, and they will be destroyed, never to return to circulation,” he declared.
Representing the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, said the destruction exercise reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to dismantling illegal arms networks through intelligence-driven operations and stronger collaboration among security agencies.
He described the destruction of approximately 2,819 weapons, bringing the cumulative total to about 19,000, as a remarkable achievement that strengthens national security.
Otuaro stressed that recovering illegal weapons alone was not enough, noting that transparent and verifiable destruction ensures they never return to criminal hands.
He urged Nigerians to report illegal possession, manufacture and trafficking of arms while calling on traditional and religious leaders to encourage peace and voluntary disarmament.
The NCCSALW was established under the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act, 2024, to coordinate national efforts to combat the proliferation of illicit weapons and ensure recovered arms are permanently removed from circulation.
