By Kolawole Ojebisi
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has explained why the war against insurgency has become difficult to win for men of the Nigeria Army.
Ribadu noted that insurgents and bandits are in possession of weapons which are as sophiscated as those the soldiers are armed with.
Explaining how the bandits acquire the sophisticated weapons, Ribadu noted that a significant number of these weapons are acquired through the bad eggs in security agencies.
Ribadu made this statement on Thursday during the arms destruction exercise conducted by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) at Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Abuja.
He explained that corrupt elements within the security agencies allowed these weapons to end up in the hands of non-state actors.
The NSA condemned and rained curses on security personnel who facilitate the distribution of weapons to terrorists, bandits, and other non-state actors.
He assured that the government would do everything possible to ensure the country’s safety, security, and protection.
“We have to find a way of putting a stop to this. We must if we want to recover our country and live in peace and stability.
“The worst human being is a policeman or a soldier who will take arms from his own formations and sell it or hire it out for the bad people to come and kill his own colleagues.
“We must fight these people but also there are merchants of death and evil from outside the world.
“The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remains a major threat to our national security, exacerbating issues such as insurgency, banditry and other violent crimes,” he said.
Ribadu said the arms destruction exercise was one of several conducted by the centre in the past, and it was a major focus and a decisive step in the concerted effort to address the challenge of arms proliferation in Nigeria.
The NSA said the federal government is remained committed to providing the necessary support to the centre towards ensuring the safety of every Nigerian.
According to him, by destroying unserviceable, obsolete and recovered arms, we are demonstrating our commitment to a secure future for all Nigerians.
“All illicit arms, not only unserviceable, all illicit. Any weapon that is taken is out there that is through an illegal process.
“We have laws that govern ownership of small arms. If you do not follow it, it is an illegal arm and it is supposed to be destroyed completely,” he added.
Recall that the current state of insecurity in Nigeria had been of pressing concern as the problem has become somewhat intractable following years of unsuccessful efforts to end it.
Though the Northern region is the hotbed of insurgency, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and other forms of insecurity spread across the country.
The statement from Ribadu sheds light on a significant factor contributing to this issue and may go a long way towards addressing insurgency and banditry in the country.
