Frank Eneawaji Ogwuonuonu
Insecurity is a threat to national life in Nigeria. Every part of the nation is affected in one way or the other. And the federal Government of Nigeria is not reacting on its hoarse to bring insecurity under control in the country. Light weapons are commonly used by non-state-actors to perpetual criminal activities in Nigeria.
The government is warned about proliferation of arms in the country. And this made the government to investigate how weapons has its unto the country. It is obvious that some illegal arms dealers took the advantage of the porous borders between Nigeria and its neighbors to smuggled arms into her territory.
Weapons looted from state armories during the 2011 Libyan conflict have been trafficked across the Sahel and recovered from extremist groups and criminal gangs in Nigeria. The United Nations and Nigerian Defense Officials confirm that these illegal arms flow significantly worsen terrorism and banditry across the Nation’s Northern Regions.
According to punch.com, the United Nations has said some weapons looted during the Libyan conflict in 2011 have ended up in the hands of extremist groups in Nigeria, The News Agency of Nigeria, reported that the UN Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, stated that at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States, as delegates gathered to tackle the global spread of illicit firearms.
The UN’s top disarmament office expressed regret that weapons confirmed to fuel violence in communities long after wars ended, causing devastation across once peaceful communities. She cited Libya where weapons looted or diverted during and after the 2011 conflict, which ended the rule of Muammar Gadafi later surfaced across the wider Sahel region, including in Niger, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
Indeed, some were subsequently found in the hands of extremist group illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilize neighbouring countries years later. Furthermore, the end of the conflict does not mean the end of the circulation of those weapons, it stays and it continues to harm people.
According to UN, some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, are witnessing proliferation of small arms which can undermine peace building efforts long after fighting subsides. weapons retained by armed groups, militias or communities for self-protection can contribute to renewed violence and instability.
In the words of UN spokesperson, “Illicit weapons are also linked to human rights abuses, terrorism and sexual and gender-based violence. It is not just a security issue only. It is also about peace building. It is about human rights. It is also about development Nakamitsu said”.
She said years after conflict fade from the headlines, the weapons used to fight them often continue to circulate, crossing borders, fueling crime and undermining an often-fragile peace. wars end, but unfortunately, the weapons that are used in that particular conflict would not be under full control. They continue to circulate. They are sometimes hidden. They are brought across borders, she revealed.
Again, she expressed concerns that the emergence of ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks were creating new challenges for government worldwide. Those weapons or weapon parts, if they are disassembled and then trafficked, are more difficult to trace.
The act of mopping up of arms in Nigeria, should be intensified by the security agencies. The movement of arms into Nigeria, is made possible and easy because of the perceived porous borders with neighbouring countries. It is worrisome to see the way militias run through various rural communities and raze down houses. Of a truth, immigration officers and customs officers at the borders should step up their game of curtain thing un-controlling movement of arms into Nigeria.
Allowing fire arms into Nigeria from other countries is a threat and dangerous to our national security. Proliferation of light arms in Nigeria, should be jettisoned and rejected by all in the Nation. Ordinarily, protection of life and property is the sole responsibility of the Government Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The disturbing development that weapons used in Libyan wars years past are used in Nigeria is inimical prosperity and development of the nation. And that is why there must be collective effort by all to stop the flow of weapons to non-state-actors. Illegal or illicit weapons in the hands of criminal elements should not be encouraged by the various governments.***
