Nigeria’s House of Representatives has approved the creation of a Commission against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light weapons.
The proposed agency is to coordinate and implement activities to combat the problem of increasing small arms and light weapons.
Nigeria is a signatory to the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
The convention is targeted at combating the excessive and destabilising accumulation of small arms and light weapons within the West African sub-region.
Statistics show that out of the 857 million small arms and light weapons in the world, 500 million are illegal, 100 million of which are found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Findings further show that about seven point five per cent of the illegal arms found in the region are in Nigeria.
Relying on these figures, the Chief Whip of the House underscores the need to address the menace of arms proliferation, which is posing a clear danger to the nation’s security.
He blames the unending insurgency, the menace of herders and rising wave of violent crimes such as kidnappings and armed banditry to the upsurge in illegal arms acquisition.
The lawmakers spoke with passion, particularly on the increasing security challenges all across the country and stressed the need for the authorities to act fast to arrest the situation
The bill has now been sent to the House committee on National security where it will be constituted for further legislative action, including a public hearing.
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