The Economic Community of West African States has called on member states to guard against the diversion of lawfully acquired arms for illicit purposes, saying such diversion poses a grave danger to national security.
This is as the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons said it had destroyed more than 17,000 unserviceable, obsolete and decommissioned weapons, as well as over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunition since its establishment in 2021.
The disclosures were made on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a five-day In-Security Training on Physical Security, Stockpile Management and Property Management for National Security in Nigeria, organised by the ECOWAS Small Arms Division in partnership with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies.
In his address, the Acting Head of the ECOWAS Small Arms Division, Abayomi Adeomi, commended the Federal Government, the NCCSALW and the Rivers State Government for their cooperation and support in hosting the training.
Adeomi said the collaboration between ECOWAS and the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies had helped translate the regional commitment of the ECOWAS Commission into practical capacity building among member states.
