The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has revealed that many of the weapons being used by terrorists and bandits across Nigeria originally belonged to the Federal Government.
This shocking revelation was made by Ribadu during an arms destruction exercise organized by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) in Abuja.
The exercise, held at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, was part of the government’s efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal arms in the country.
However, Ribadu’s statement brought to light the disturbing reality that some of these weapons had found their way into the hands of non-state actors through corrupt security personnel.
Ribadu did not mince words in condemning the role of corrupt security personnel in facilitating the distribution of arms to terrorists and bandits.
He stated that these individuals within the security agencies allowed government-owned weapons to end up in the hands of criminal elements, worsening the already dire security situation in the country.
According to Ribadu, “A large number of the weapons being used by terrorists and bandits in Nigeria today were initially in the possession of the Federal Government. These weapons found their way into the wrong hands through corrupt elements within the security system.”
The arms destruction exercise overseen by the NCCSALW was meant to show the government’s commitment to combating the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
The agency, which was established to control and reduce the illegal flow of weapons, has been working to recover arms from non-state actors and destroy them to prevent their reuse.
However, the significance of this event was overshadowed by Ribadu’s revelation about the source of many of these weapons.
The destruction of the weapons, which took place in the presence of high-ranking government officials and representatives from international organizations, was seen as a step toward tackling the problem.
But as Ribadu pointed out, more needs to be done to stop the flow of weapons at its source.
Nigeria has been battling rising insecurity for years, with various regions of the country facing different security challenges.
In the northern part of the country, terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been responsible for widespread violence, including bombings, kidnappings, and killings.
Meanwhile, banditry and kidnappings for ransom have become rampant in the North-West and North-Central regions.
Communities in these regions have been terrorized by heavily armed bandits who raid villages, abduct people, and demand large sums of money for their release.
The situation is not confined to the North. Other parts of Nigeria, including the South-East and South-West, have also been experiencing rising insecurity, with armed groups causing unrest and posing serious challenges to the authorities.
The growing insecurity has become a national crisis, and Ribadu’s admission about the role of corrupt security personnel in supplying weapons to criminals has added a new layer of complexity to the problem.
