…As Seized Arms Leak Back to Illicit Market
From Alhaji Yusuf, Damaturu
The Nigeria Police and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) have raised concerns over a critical gap in the justice system that allows recovered illicit weapons to find their way back into the hands of criminals and insurgents in the North East.
The warning was issued on Thursday in Damaturu, Yobe State capital, during a workshop organised by the North East Zonal Centre of NCCSALW in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The event, themed “Strengthening Procedural Approaches for the Forfeiture and Safe Disposal of Small Arms and Light Weapons,” brought together prosecutors and justice sector stakeholders to address the recurring challenge of post-judgment weapon forfeiture.
Major General Abubakar Adamu (rtd), North East Director of NCCSALW, said that while security agencies have recorded successes in arresting and prosecuting offenders, the system often fails after conviction.
“A critical gap persists in the post-judgment phase, particularly in the forfeiture and disposal of recovered weapons,” he stated. “If not addressed, this gap risks the re-circulation of arms into the illicit market.”
He noted that the workshop aims to clarify procedures, improve coordination among agencies, and build capacity for court-ordered forfeiture in line with national and international legal instruments.
CSP Sulaiman Abubakar, Director of Legal Services, Nigeria Police, Yobe State Command, warned that existing laws such as the Firearms Act and the Army and Firearms Special Provision Act already contain provisions that can be deployed to stem the tide but they remain underutilised.
“The proliferation of small arms is a serious societal problem that has broken the interior position of individuals and communities,” he said.”If we don’t do it right, we die.”
Also speaking, Wing Commander Ekuerhari, who represented the Director of Legal Services at NCCSALW, provided an overview of the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Act 2024.
He described the legislation and the establishment of the Centre in 2021 as timely interventions to combat arms trafficking and violence in the region.
Civil society actor Baba Shehu described the workshop as a necessary intervention, noting that the North East has been scarred by terrorist violence for nearly a decade.
“As civil society, we have a duty to sensitise the public and support government agencies in carrying out their mandate,” he said, calling for stronger collaboration between communities, law enforcement, and the judiciary.