The Federal Government of Nigeria don announce say dem dey investigate the Gulf of Guinea as one major route wey arms dey enter the country. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, make dis announcement on Tuesday during a seminar in Abuja.
Ribadu, who be represented by the Director of External Affairs, Office of the National Security Adviser, Ibrahim Babani, talk say the government dey interested in knowing more about how small and light weapons dey pass through the maritime sector. He say the Gulf of Guinea be a big route for dis kind of arms trafficking.
The NSA also talk about how climate change dey affect armed conflict and the spread of weapons across the Gulf of Guinea countries. He say the region get plenty natural resources, including about 24 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, and it be the maritime gateway between Africa and the rest of the world.
But despite all these good things, the Gulf of Guinea also attract bad people wey dey do nefarious activities like drug trafficking, human trafficking, oil theft, kidnapping, piracy, and smuggling of contraband goods. Ribadu say organised crime syndicates dey involved in all these crimes, including the smuggling of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
The Director-General of NCCSALW, DIG Johnson Kokumo (retd), also talk say climate change be one big reason why people dey displaced and why there be instability in many regions. He say this instability dey fuel the demand for arms, making the proliferation of small arms and light weapons to increase.
Kokumo emphasize say we need to find better ways to respond to these new threats by making stronger national and regional frameworks for arms control, environmental resilience, and conflict mitigation.
