{
  "id": 2150754,
  "title": "FG plans new survey on illicit arms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/fg-plans-new-survey-on-illicit-arms",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T14:26:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/fg-plans-new-survey-on-illicit-arms/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Federal Government has initiated preparations for a new National Baseline Survey on illicit small arms and light weapons, occurring a decade after the country's initial survey in 2016. This announcement was made on Wednesday during a workshop in Abuja, organized by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, emphasized that the spread of illicit weapons directly fuels insecurity, impacting banditry in the North-West, farmer-herder conflicts in the North-Central, criminal gang activities in urban areas, and terrorist groups in the North-East. Ribadu stressed that evidence-based policy rather than assumptions is crucial for addressing this threat. He underscored that a reliable national baseline survey is essential for national security planning, enabling the tracking of weapons flows and enhancing disarmament efforts. Adedeji Ebo, from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, pointed out that the 2016 data is outdated, rendering it insufficient for current security assessments. He stressed the need for updated data to accurately determine the scale and movement of illicit weapons, as well as to improve the precision of government responses. Ebo highlighted the importance of involving various stakeholders, including community actors, whose insights are often overlooked in official records. The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons' Director-General, Johnson Kokumo, noted that Nigeria's security landscape has evolved in the past decade, with new criminal forms, trafficking routes, and illicit weapon proliferation methods emerging. This necessitates a reassessment of the illicit weapons landscape.",
  "summary": "The Federal Government is preparing a new National Baseline Survey on illicit arms to combat insecurity. This crucial survey will provide data-driven insig Read More: https://punchng.com/fg-plans-new-survey-on-illicit-arms/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "FG plans new survey on illicit arms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/fg-plans-new-survey-on-illicit-arms-2153536",
        "published": "2026-08-20T14:40:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}