By Admin
The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, has extended its partnership with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, to tackle insecurity and the proliferation of illicit arms across Nigeria.
Speaking at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Bauchi on Friday, the North-East Zonal Director of NCCSALW, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Adamu (Rtd), said the collaboration was necessary because of the critical role corps members play in advocating for an arms-free society at their places of primary assignment.
He noted that the Centre’s existing partnership with corps members in Borno and Yobe states had yielded positive results, and urged corps members across the North-East to take an active role in curbing the spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons, SALW, in the region.
According to him, the involvement of youths, especially corps members, would significantly help to address insecurity and the illegal circulation of arms.
“Corps members in Yobe and Borno have been playing an active role in the fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms through sensitization in their places of primary assignment,” Adamu said. “This was made possible through the establishment of the NCCSALW Community Development Service, CDS, group.”
He explained that NCCSALW was established in 2021 under the Office of the NSA to serve as the institutional framework for regulating and controlling small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
Sensitizing corps members on the dangers of arms proliferation, the Zonal Director said such weapons fuel banditry, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery, insurgency and other crimes.
Represented by Mr. Aminu Saleh Mohammed, Assistant Director of Strategic Communication and Information, Adamu added that SALW hinder development, boost black-market arms trade, expose young people to armed violence, heighten trans-border insecurity, and create fear in communities.
He called on parents and guardians to take responsibility for proper child upbringing, educate children on tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and speak against violence.
Adamu also urged NYSC Coordinators in the North-East to partner with the Centre to establish SALW CDS groups in their states, similar to the one already operational in Borno.
Some corps members at the event pledged to serve as ambassadors of the Centre and participate fully in activities aimed at ending the proliferation of illicit arms.
In his response, the Bauchi State NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Umoren Kufre, commended the Centre for the sensitization and welcomed the proposal. He assured that efforts would be made to set up the CDS group in Bauchi and promised to work closely with NCCSALW to carry out sensitization in strategic locations across the state.
