By HAMZA SULEIMAN

The National Centre for Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), says more than 10,000 small arms and light weapons have so far been recovered from non-state actors across the country.

National Coordinator of NCCSALW, Maj. Gen. Abba Dikko (rtd), made this known in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Maiduguri.

Dikko said the arms were mopped up by security agencies across the country and handed over to the centre, which has the mandate of retrieving and destroying such arms.

“We have been doing arms mop for a long time.

“Even before the establishment of the center, there has been mop up activities by security agencies in the various theatres, particularly the police which has taken the lead of retrieving weapons from unauthorised persons.

“Last week, we had weapon hand-over from the police and this is not just targeted at ensuring peaceful election, but also ensuring that violence and criminality is reduced to the barest minimum across the Nigerian state.”

Dikko said that the arms were retrieved from communities, insurgents, bandits and other non-state actors whose major target was to continue to fuel criminalities and insecurity.

“I can assure you that we are doing what is required of us, break the supply chain and at the same time begin to profile what we have already done.

“So that we can begin to litigate those we identified as gun runners who have decided to use the Nigerian space as their preferred market,” the NCCSALW coordinator said.

Dikko said that he was in Maidugiri on a working visit to the centre’s zonal office and to interact with Gov. Babagana Zulum and thank him for his support to the center. (NAN)