By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The National Coordinator, National Centre for Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Johnson Kokumo, has urged the Nigeria Police to avail the centre with the database of recovered illicit arms.

Kokumo, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), made the request when he led management team of the centre in a courtesy visit to the Inspector -General of Police, Kayode EgbetokunWe on Friday in Abuja.

He said the visit was to solicit for more support and collaboration in the area of intelligence sharing, adding that the police was highly dependable when it came to intelligence gathering.

“We also want to seek for your support in area of enforcement of laws.

“Of course, there are laws that prescribe punishment for illegal possession of firearms and the laws are being enforced most appropriately, we will be able to fight the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

“We are equally seeking the support and understanding of the Inspector General of Police in area of generating national data, and of course, analysis of this data for planning for the control of proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

“We know too well that the Nigerian Police force has records of recovered arms and ammunition across the federation.

“I want to seize this opportunity to make this known to the police that the center has a national data center where we collate data recovered by all agencies of governments.

“We don’t only come up with figures of recovered arms from various agencies of government, we go further to carry out investigation into the sources of these weapons,” he said.

Kokumo said the centre was more interested in knowing the source of the guns that the criminals used to commit crimes, urging the police to always involve the centre whenever its investigators come in contact with small arms in the course of their investigation.

According to him, the centre has the capacity to trace the company or manufacturer of weapons and to further trace to whom such weapons were sold by the manufacturing company.

The Coordinator commended the police for the support it had extended to the centre since its creation in 2021 in the area of manpower enforcement supports.

He said the police had assisted the centre to nab some individuals that had been undermining the powers and responsibilities of the centre.

In his response, the Inspector -General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said the police had no choice than to continue to work with NCCSALW to deliver on its mandate.

Egbetokun assured the coordinator of the commitment of the police to continue to cooperate with the center, adding that they had realised that the center played important role in curbing the incidences of violent crime in Nigeria.

“We all know that violent crimes in Nigeria is being driven by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

“It is the result of illicit transaction in arms and light weapons that is actually aiding banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and even terrorism.

“So your center has a big role to play and I want to assure you that the police will continue to support you in the areas of intelligence sharing, enforcement of all laws and in the areas of all operations that will lead to recovery of arms and that will also lead to tracing the sources of these arms.

“I want to assure you that you should always count on us even in the area of training.

“We will collaborate with you and I have no doubt in my mind that the relationship between the center and Nigerian police is going to improve with you as the head of the center,” he said. (NAN)

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