NCCSALW tasks NYSC members with tackling arms proliferation in North-East

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has called upon National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Nigeria's North-East to combat the spread of illicit firearms in the area. Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Adamu, the North-East Zonal Director of NCCSALW, made this appeal during addresses at NYSC orientation camps in Potiskum and Maiduguri, Yobe and Borno States respectively.

Adamu, speaking through his deputy Aminu Saleh Mohammed, highlighted that the involvement of the youth would play a crucial role in the fight against insecurity. The NCCSALW, founded in 2021 under the National Security Adviser's Office, is responsible for overseeing and managing small arms and light weapons regulation across Nigeria.

During these sessions, Adamu cautioned that the illegal circulation of arms fuels various criminal activities including banditry, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery, insurgency, and other forms of crime. He urged corps members to act as good representatives of their parents, NYSC, their respective states, and themselves by reporting anyone found in possession of or engaged in the production of small arms and light weapons.

Additionally, Adamu urged parents and guardians to foster tolerance and peaceful coexistence among children, monitoring behavioral changes and early correction of negative tendencies. In Maiduguri, NCCSALW representatives also appealed to religious leaders and scholars to educate their congregations about the perils of illicit arms, with an emphasis on supporting reconciliation efforts and the reintegrating of extremists and victims.

NYSC coordinators Okochi Okpara and Nasir Bello expressed their support for the establishment of Small Arms and Light Weapons Community Development Service groups, vowing to collaborate with NCCSALW in spreading awareness campaigns throughout the North-East region.