The National Security Adviser, NSA, Retired Major General Babagana Monguno has ordered the dismantling of illegal security outfits in the country.
Such security outfits includes the National Taskforce on the prohibition of illegal importation/smuggling of Arms, Ammunitions, Light Weapons, Chemical Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism (NATFORCE).
A statement issued by the Head Strategic Communication office of the National Security Adviser, Mr. Zakari Usman, said the directive followed the use of the outfits to extort, harass and intimate Nigerians.
The National Security Adviser General Monguno said in twenty-twenty that out of the ten billion manufactured light Arms and Small Weapons circulating globally, ten million was circulating round African Countries while one million were circulation in the country.
Former Head of the General Abdulsalami Abubakar said recently that six million Small and Light Weapon were presently circulating in the nation.
But a report prepared by a research and Consultancy Group, Beacon Consulting, a member of ASIS International, world’s largest association for Security Management Professionals showed that of the six point five million small arms and light weapons circulating in Nigeria, out of which five million were in the possession of non-State actors while five and sixty-eight thousand were in the hands of Law Enforcement Agencies.
Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA observed with concern the proliferation of illegal security outfit in the nation.
The statement further said the illegal outfits were masquerading and acting as part of the Nigerian, Security architecture wile extorting, harassing and intimidating Nigerians.
It affirmed that by the setting up of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons on May third, twenty-twenty-one, Nigeria had initiated the process for the full implementation f article twenty-four of the ECOWAS Convention on the Small Arms and Light Weapons, in this regards, National and International Stakeholders are encouraged and expected to collaborate with the centre to strengthen government civil service initiatives regularly to foster peace and development nationwide.
RN