Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the establishment of a National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
A statement from the presidency on Monday, May 3, noted that the centre would be domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The new centre replaced the defunct Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
It will serve as the institutional mechanism for policy guidance, research, and monitoring of all aspects of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Nigeria.
The presidency explained that the decision to establish the new centre is part of the efforts to restructure Nigeria’s security architecture to address emerging threats.
According to the statement, the proliferation of weapons across national borders in Africa and the Sahel region has resulted in terrorism, human trafficking, organized crime, and insurrections in West Africa and Nigeria.
The new centre will be fulfilling the requirements of the ECOWAS Moratorium on Import, Export, and Manufacture of Light Weapons as well as the UN Plan of Action to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit trade in SALW. It is also gathered that the centre will maintain international cooperation and also operate zonal offices in the six geopolitical zones to ensure quick response and effective mobilization of resources.
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