The Southwest Zonal Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), CP Abiodun Alamutu, has called on traditional rulers, community leaders, stakeholders, and non-governmental organizations to initiate awareness campaigns aimed at curbing the spread of illegal arms in the region. This appeal was made during a one-day seminar held at IBD International Hotels in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
Seminar Focus on Post-Judgment Management
The seminar featured Dr. Kunle Olawunmi from Chrisland University, Abeokuta, who delivered a lecture on the theme "Effective Post-Judgment Management of Small Arms and Light Weapons" (SALW). Alamutu emphasized the need for such campaigns to persuade criminals to voluntarily surrender illegal firearms, possibly in exchange for amnesty. He expressed regret that the proliferation of small and light weapons has been a major enabler of banditry and insurgency in the country.
Call for Voluntary Surrender and Amnesty
The Commissioner of Police lamented that a large number of arms circulating in society are in the hands of non-state actors not affiliated with any security agencies. He noted that most arms intercepted by the centre were seized at border points. "The bulk of the successes we have recorded had been at the border points, those that are about to come into our society. We have made tremendous successes, but now we want to divert our attention into mopping up those that are already in circulation," Alamutu said. He stressed the need for active collaboration with stakeholders, traditional rulers, and NGOs to convince criminals to voluntarily surrender weapons, with the possibility of amnesty.
Judiciary Urged to Exercise Caution
Alamutu also called on the judiciary to exercise strict caution in handling weapons submitted as evidence in court. He warned that if a weapon that has been presented in court ever finds its way back into the hands of a criminal, then such a judgment is incomplete. "This is the critical interval where a weapon transitions from being a piece of legal evidence to becoming a potential security liability. If a forfeited weapon is not handled with absolute procedural integrity, the judgment of the court is not just incomplete, it is undermined," he stated.
Treaty Obligations Under ECOWAS Convention
The Zonal Director explained that the centre's mandate is not merely an administrative choice but a binding treaty commitment. Nigeria, as a key signatory to the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, is obligated under Article 17 to ensure that all illegally held weapons that are seized or recovered are properly collected and destroyed.
Call for Joint Security Unit
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police for Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, proposed the creation of a joint security agencies unit in Ogun State to coordinate the collection and handling of weapons after they have been mopped up. He urged the centre to devise another avenue to mop up these weapons immediately after judgment is delivered, rather than waiting for agencies like the police to bring them forward. "There should be a coordinated approach to handling the weapons because we are all aware that anything could happen to these weapons if there is delay," Ojajuni added.
