National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, don announce say Federal Government dey investigate Gulf of Guinea as major route for arms trafficking into Nigeria. Ribadu make dis announcement at a two-day seminar titled “Climate Change and the Changing Dynamics of Arms Proliferation and Insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria in Perspective,” wey hold on Tuesday in Abuja.
The seminar, wey be organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in collaboration with the Global Network for Human Development, highlight the serious issues wey dey affect the region. Ribadu, who be represented by Ibrahim Babani, the Director of External Affairs at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), talk about the vast natural resources and economic activities of the Gulf of Guinea.
He say the region, which include 16 countries including Nigeria, get an estimated 24 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and contribute roughly five million barrels daily to the global crude market. However, the lucrative nature of the Gulf of Guinea attract “strange bedfellows and men of the underworld with ulterior motives pursuing nefarious activities” like drug trafficking, human trafficking, oil theft, kidnapping, piracy, and smuggling of contraband goods.
Ribadu emphasize the involvement of organised crime syndicates in these crimes, especially the smuggling of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) by international crime syndicates. He note that previous reports already identify SALW proliferation through the maritime sector, but the government want to further investigate the Gulf of Guinea as a primary route for arms trafficking.
The NSA also talk about the connection between climate change, armed conflict, and the spread of weapons across the Gulf of Guinea countries. He say that climate change be a significant driver of instability and conflict in vulnerable regions, with criminal networks exploiting the situation. This instability fuel the demand for arms, contributing to the rise in SALW proliferation.
Retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, the Director-General of NCCSALW, add that climate change be a major contributor to displacement and instability, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea. He stress the need for stronger national and regional frameworks for arms control, environmental resilience, and conflict mitigation to curb the SALW menace.
