The acting Director General of National Taskforce, Dr Baba Mohammed has called on the National Assembly to expeditiously work on domesticating ECOWAS treaties and conventions because of the alarming proliferation of arms, and weapons into the country.
Dr Mohammed who was represented by the Director of Katsina State Command, Alhaji Mustaba Abdullahi in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Monday after the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements public hearing on a “bill for Act to enable effect to be given in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the ECOWAS convention on small arms and light weapons, ammunition and other related matters, raised the alarm that Nigeria’s weaponisation was responsible for high rate of crime in the country.
According to him, NATFORCE would synergise with security agencies across board to tackle illegal entries of arms into the country.
Dr Mohammed stressed that NATFORCE will support the bill in view of the urgent need to tackle illegal importation of arms which he said has heightened criminality in the country, while he believed that the domestication of the treaties would give effect to the nation in dealing with arms smugglers.
Alhaji Abdullahi who spoke on behalf of the DG, revealed that he is also a member of the governing body of Natforce which is aimed at combating illegal arms, small and light weapons and ammunition.
He expressed optimism that the bill will translate into an act, given that all security agencies and paramilitary organisation lent their support.
He maintained: “So far the outcome of this public hearing consist of stakeholders of the industry that are involved in the organization as presently here and have given their support to the bill.
“It is a welcome development towards making the bill come into existence. Of course, everyone want his name to be written in gold and what we are seeing today is that everyone want their names to be written in history; therefore it generated what you are seeing today.
“This bill today is Nigeria’s resident home of ECOWAS and with the outbreak of illegal weapons in Africa, Nigeria need to act urgently.
“ECOWAS under the United Nations Charter, they have made a very good decision towards creating an agency in the ECOWAS States which were to combat proliferation, importation of light, small, chemical arms and ammunition.”
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai assured that the report would be submitted to the Committee of the whole in record time to enable legislative activities on the bill.
Hon. Ossai disclosed that a technical Committee has been set up to begin sitting from Wednesday this week, while he urged other stakeholders who were yet to present their papers to do so, adding that more stakeholders may be coopted into the Committee for elaborate and robust contributions.
The public hearing was well attended as all security agencies, stakeholders, representatives, including heads of paramilitary organisations were present and presented their position papers.
