The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Northeast Zonal Centre, under the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President has intensified forces with the Nigerian Army to fight the menace of the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the country.

Speaking on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to Maj:-Gen. A.E Abubakar, the Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force, Northeast, Operation Handin Kai in Maiduguri, Maj-:Gen Abubakar Adamu (Rtd), the Northeast Zonal Coordinator, NCCSALW Northeast Zonal Centre, said the collaboration was necessary in mopping up Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the Zone.

Adamu, who stated the negative impact the proliferation of illicit SALW has on peaceful coexistence in the nation and its socio-economic activities, pledged the Centre’s continuous cooperation with the Nigerian Army especially in intelligence sharing which he said, was paramount in preventing the proliferation of this SALW in the country.

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“One of our responsibilities is to prevent the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons and to also enlighten the people. We are a multi agency department and we have the police, the DSS, and also retired military officers as well as serving military officers.

“We have been empowered to receive all illicit small arms and light weapons that have been retrieved from all the agencies and we are the people responsible to destroy them,” he said.

While commending the Nigerian Army for always being at the forefront in ensuring that the country was safe for all to live in, Adamu promised to strengthen the partnership in order to further make the country a better place for all to live.

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“We are also the only organization empowered to prosecute gun runners and all the people that have been arrested in terms of dealing with small arms and light weapons.

“What we are doing is to visit major stakeholders and to also share intelligence, information and to collaborate because we know without the armed forces, there is no way we can eradicate the proliferation of small Arms and Light Weapons,” he added.

Adamu also explained that the centre had collected small arms and light weapons from Nigerian Army operation Safe Haven in Plateau state and destroyed them last month.

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Responding, Maj:-Gen. A.E Abubakar promised to support the Centre so as to achieve its mandate while recalling the past records of the Zonal Director as a result-oriented and patriotic officer.

He also commended the Centre for working hand in hand with all the security agencies, traditional rulers and key stakeholders, adding that this would go a long way in mopping up and tackling the proliferation of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the country.

He promised to keep working in synergy and in cooperation with the centre, urging them to come at any time for proper documentation in order to collect all the available recovered small arms and light weapons from the theatre command.

It could be recalled that the centre, on August, 27 also paid a courtesy visit to Brig.-Gen. U.V Unachukwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division, Nigerian Army Headquarters in Maiduguri to strengthen ties with the Division in the fight against the proliferation of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the country.

A coalition of 130 Pan-Yoruba groups has written to the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, warning of what they described as a looming genocide against the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria.

In a letter signed by Popoola Ajayi, Secretary-General of the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements, the groups alleged that a coalition of terrorist forces operating within and outside Nigeria was plotting to invade Yoruba territories.

The petition cited the September 17 killing of 15 people, including women and children, at Oke-Ode in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State by suspected Fulani militants.

AYDM described the attack as a prelude to wider invasions, alleging that Nigeria’s security operatives were compromised and sections of the political elite were complicit.

“The mass murder of 15 people in Kwara, including women and children by Fulani terrorists was a prelude to the mass invasion of Yoruba territories by heavily armed terrorists who are known for their thirst for blood and human flesh,” AYDM said.

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The body also said, the Yoruba people have endured more than a century of violence and torture in the hands of extremists since the 1804 Jihad was launched, describing the latest string of violence as the continuation of the extremists’ desire to impose on the people a theocratic state where democracy is seen as a crime.

“The Nigerian security operatives are compromised while a section of the political class is hand-in-glove with the terrorists, making the prospect of state resolution of the lingering crisis difficult.,” Ajayi warned.

The groups accused extremists of pursuing a long-standing agenda dating back to the 1804 Jihad, claiming it was aimed at imposing a theocratic state where democracy is criminalised.

AYDM also pointed to past atrocities, including the 2020 assassination of Oba Israel Adeusi, the Olufon of Ifon; the killings of other traditional rulers; the June 10, 2022, Owo Catholic Church massacre that left 40 people dead; and the 2024 killing of Oba Segun Aremu, the Onikoro of Ikoro, alongside the kidnapping of his wife.

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On Sunday, no fewer than 15 vigilantes and hunters were killed when armed bandits stormed the Oke-Ode community.

Residents told PUNCH Online that several others were abducted during the attack, which has thrown the community into mourning.

A video obtained by our correspondent showed the bodies of the slain vigilantes lying on the ground after the assault.

AYDM’s demands to the UN

The coalition urged the UN to intervene through three steps: compel Nigeria to uphold the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ensuring justice, democracy, and self-determination, convene an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Nigeria to push for restructuring and self-determination and check Ukraine’s alleged role in sponsoring Sahel-based terrorists, citing statements by Ukrainian intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov that, they claim, confirmed involvement.

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The groups warned that failure to act could result in Africa’s worst bloodbath, with consequences for regional and global security.

“The Yoruba are peace-loving and detest violence, but we will not watch helplessly while our people are massacred. We will defend our ancestral land with our last breath. The UN must act now to prevent war, not after genocide has been committed,” the statement read.

The petition was co-signed by leaders of several Yoruba and allied organisations, including the O’odua Peoples Congress (various factions), O’odua Nationalist Coalition, Okun Peoples Association, Kwara Indigenous Peoples League, Yoruba Artisans and Traders Association, South West Professionals Forum, among others.