Why Buhari Set Up A Small Arms Control Center In Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) under the Office of the Presidential Security Adviser.

The Office of the Presidential Security Adviser says the center will replace the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The Nigerian government says the move is part of a series of initiatives to transform the country’s security and tackle the threat posed by small arms smuggling.

It said the new center would strengthen security agencies on how to monitor small arms.

The Office of the Presidential Security Adviser says small arms and ammunition imports into the country from abroad and the Sahel region have led to an increase in terrorist attacks, human trafficking, and smuggling activities by criminals and insurgents in West Africa and Nigeria.

The Center will also implement the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms Imports and Exporters as well as the UN Convention against the Illicit Trade in Small Arms.