The Federal Government has tasked Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with addressing the proliferation of small arms and other weapons in the North-East region, which comprises six states in the country. According to the government, the continuous spread of these weapons fuels terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping in the North.
The North-East Zonal Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar (rtd), called on CSOs to take the lead in combating the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the region. He gave this charge while inaugurating the Executive Committee of the Network of Civil Society Organisations on Wednesday in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Addressing members of the CSOs, Abubakar congratulated the newly elected executives on the confidence reposed in them to lead the fight against the proliferation of small arms and other dangerous weapons used to commit various crimes and offences in society.
In a related development, Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has revealed that there are moles within the government, security agencies, and local communities who supply information to bandits, aiding them in carrying out criminal activities in the state. Speaking during a live programme, Radda explained that the fight against insecurity is being undermined by individuals who leak critical security information to bandits. He specifically mentioned a notorious bandit identified simply as Mohammed, narrating how informants within government circles and communities allegedly provide him with intelligence that helps him evade arrest.
