National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno and the Service Chiefs are to brief the Senate on how to halt arms proliferation.
Also to brief the upper chamber are Director- General, Department of State Services (DSS), Director- General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Comptroller Generai, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) .
Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idirs is also invited.
The resolution to invite the security chiefs followed the unanimous adoption of a motion, “Proliferation of dangerous firearms in Nigeria”, sponsored by Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North).
Senators took turns to decry what they described as the reign of terror in parts of the country due to uncontrolled proliferation of firearms.
The lawmakers warned that unless a drastic action was taken to halt the trend, the country would be the worse for it.
Senate President Bukola Saraki noted that the briefing would enable the Senate articulate the way out of the problem.
Hunkuyi, in his lead debate, noted that tribal, communal, religious, and other sectarian clashes; including the farmers/herders crises were more devastating due to wrongful and easy acquisition of firearms in violation of due process as laid down by the enabling laws and regulations .
He said that the ugly trend had contributed to the colossal loss of lives and wanton destruction of property of Nigerian citizens.
The Kaduna North lawmaker said that the situation was attributable to the inability to control the proliferation of firearms within country “as well as negligence from the departments of government entrusted with the responsibility to control how individuals and corporate entities can acquire and maintain firearms in Nigeria, but particularly the free access by hoodlums to acquire firearms easily.”
Hunkuyi was disturbed that online, electronic and print media carry chilling reports confirming the proliferation of firearms in Nigeria.
He cited a report which said that the Inspector-General of Police, on the 24th February 2018, ordered a nation-wide mop- up of illegal firearms to sanitise the country and another report, which said that the Commissioner of Police, Jigawa State had ordered all indigenes to surrender firearms to embrace peace and yet another, which said that the Police Commissioner for Zamfara State had given directives to all residents to drop their firearms in the interest of peace.
Hunkuyi said that there were similar reports, part of which was that the Inspector-General of Police ordered his officers and men to harvest arms in Bauchi, Imo, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Zamfara, Yobe, Kano, Kaduna and others.
He was worried that “despite the killings in Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Zamfara and other parts of Nigeria (which occurred within a spate of a short period of February to April 2018) and, of course, the Boko Haram mayhem in the North-East, coupled with the daily nationally spread in cases of sophisticated killings, deadly clashes, armed robberies, kidnappings, cattle rustling and other heinous crimes, where hitherto unavailable firearms are used, meaningful effort is not seen to be done on the part of the government to curtail the proliferation of firearms in Nigeria.”
Hunkuyi lamented that “the situation has worsen to the extent that some opinion leaders are calling on Nigerians to stand up and protect themselves. This prodding at self-defence, if not checked through action by the government, would certainly get to the extent that firearm would be secured by every household either in the name of protection or for some other purposes”.
He noted that from the observation of the United States experience, the prevailing scenario will not augur well for the country.
Hunkuyi was worried that “the spate of unrest due to illegal proliferation of firearms has negatively impacted on economic and agricultural activities to the extent that due to fear of attacks, many law abiding citizens fear going to the market as well as attending to their farms (this is Noma Haram; and very soon, we shall have Kasuwa Haram).”
“The loss in the economy occasioned by this problem is better imagined,” he said.
According to him, a closer look at the fallout of the incessant attacks by firearm bearing criminals would reveal the unprecedented devastation to the country’s economy and agriculture.
He continued: “The well-known cattle and the peaceful herdsmen in parts of Zamfara, Kaduna and other areas are no longer there. Many of the guinea corn, millet, rice and yam producing areas of Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Benue now lie waste due to the murderous activities of gangs carrying illegally acquired firearms.”
“Alarmed that if this situation is allowed to further deteriorate, unprecedented famine and diminishing economic output, as seen in nations plagued by war and crises, will pervade Nigeria. As the most populous country on the African continent, the nation’s GDP would certainly be affected adversely.
“Regrets that the various departments of government entrusted with the responsibility of checking and regulating the influx of firearms into Nigeria have failed woefully in the discharge of this all important duty. The combined effect of sections 3 and 4 of the Firearms Act restricts the possession of firearms among persons. Section 3 of the Firearms Act specifically mentioned that no person should possess the category of firearms as seen with these heartless persons, unless that person is granted a licence by the President. Section 4 of the Act gave the Inspector-General of Police the power to issue license for people with less lethal firearms.
“But one does not need to ask whether all the firearm bearing elements, ranging from kidnappers, armed robbers, armed herdsmen, cattle rustlers, cultists et al, got their licence from these appropriate quarters, because the answer is an emphatic no. Then the question goes to the effect that why the proliferation?”
He noted that “by virtue of Section 24 of the Customs and Excise Management Act, the Nigerian Customs could be directed to prohibit the importation of any specified goods. Section 8 of the Act gives Customs the power of police officers in the discharge of their duties. By implication, it is also the responsibility of the Customs to ensure that no single firearm comes into the country without due authorisation. By its establishment Act, the Department of State Services Act is likewise empowered to detect and prevent any crime within Nigeria. What is obtainable on the whole is that the colossal system collapse of these organisations to live up to the minimum level of expectation in this regard is most glaring.”