Arms control centre takes possession of 3,000 recovered weapons in N/Delta

Arms control centre takes possession of 3,000 recovered weapons in N/Delta

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has taken possession of more than 3,000 different categories of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).

The National Coordinator of NCCSALW, retired Maj.-Gen. Abba Dikko, made this known in a statement by the centre’s Head of Strategic Communication, Air Commodore Ewejide Akintunde on Wednesday in Abuja.

Dikko said SALW, ammunition and other arms related materials were recovered by the troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), and handed over to the centre on Monday in Port Harcourt.

He said the representatives of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other arms bearing security agencies witnessed the cerempony.

“Over 3,000 automatic and locally fabricated SALW were handed over to the Centre by the Commander, OPDS, Rear Adm. Aminu Hassan, who also represented DHQ at the hand-over ceremony.

“The assorted weapons included, AK 47 rifles, FN rifles, Berretta rifles, G3 rifles, Pump Action rifles and various brands of pistols.

“Others included Sub-Machine Guns (SMG) and General-Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG) as well as locally fabricated Single and Double-Barrel rifles, Pistols, SMGs and ammunition of various calibres,’’ he said.

The coordinator, who was represented by the South-South Zonal Coordinator for the centre, retired Maj.Gen. Martins Obot, said the takeover was in fulfilment of the centre’s core functions.

He said that NCCSALW had the mandate of retrieving all recovered illicit SALW in the holdings of all arms bearing security agencies in the country.

According to him, the centre intends to aggregate all weapons and related material that have been mopped up from the society and manage the stockpile leading up to its destruction.

He commended the troops and leadership of OPDS for their resilience and the huge successes recorded in curtailing criminal activities and recovery of numerous illicit weapons.

The coordinator also thanked all stakeholders and law-abiding citizens especially those who have been helpful in providing actionable information leading to the successful arms recovery.

He assured that the NCCSALW remained committed to its duties and focused on the delivery of its mandate of ensuring an illicit arms-free Nigeria. (NAN)