Irabor: Arms Proliferation Poses Threat to Nigeria

•Launches ‘Operation Still Waters’, targets militants, bandits, robbers, others

Chiemelie Ezeobi and Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor, Monday, said the proliferation of small arms and light weapons posed a systemic threat to the country.

The CDS stated this during a public hearing on a Bill to give effect to ECOWAS convention on small arms & light weapons control, organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements.

In the same breath, the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, yesterday, launched Operation Still Waters, a joint operation aimed at combating kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and other crimes within Lagos and Ogun States which are its Areas of Responsibility (AOR).

Irabor, who was represented by Air Vice Marshall T. O. Yusuf, noted that the bill was a welcome development in view of the threat such proliferation entailed, and pointed out that the functions of the national centre, which the bill proposed was similar to the proposed national commission against the proliferation of arms and light weapons from another legislation.

This he said would amount to a replication of duties.

He said, “On proposed bill, it was well received and it is pertinent to state that DHQ is of the view that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria poses a systemic threat to the nation’s long term socio-economic development as well as security.”

Also, in his presentation, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, said the police were aware of the disastrous consequences of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons on the prolongation of armed conflict and the exploitation of natural resources of member states.

Represented too by the Assistant Inspector General in charge of Armament, Mohammed Lawan, the IGP said the police were committed to the need to build peace and prevent conflict among member states.

While encouraging the enactment of laws to curtail illicit manufacturing, trafficking and diversion of arms, he added that police over the years had made tremendous efforts especially, in the areas of arrest, recoveries of small arms, light weapons and ammunition and prosecution of suspects.

An Assistant Controller General of Immigration in charge of General Services, Kunle Osinsoya, equally disclosed that the Service had commenced marking of all its arms.

He said so far, all the arms in their headquarters and in the Federal Capital Territory had been marked and the ones in the various commands across the country would be done in the next few weeks.

Earlier, in his remarks, Chairman of the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, said out of over 400 treaties and agreements that Nigeria had signed, only 10 or 11 had been domesticated.

This, according to him, meant that the country was not moving forward.

“It means we are not moving forward. Under my headship as chairman of this committee, we have already forwarded about 25 domestications, the first of its kind, since 1999 and we intend to reach up to 50 to 100 to domesticate in the next two years. We feel that the Nigerian people must be able to derive some benefits of what our fathers and the current people, who have gone to represent Nigeria to sign these agreements,” Ossai said.

However, at the launch of Operation Still Waters in Lagos, troops deployed for the exercise were charged to be ruthless with criminals disturbing the peace and security of both Lagos and Ogun States.

But they were mandated to respect the rights of law abiding citizens and adhere to the rules of engagement guiding the field exercise.

According to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major General Lawrence Fejokwu, residents of both states should expect increased military presence both during the day and at night till December 23, when the exercise would be concluded.

He said during Operation Still Waters, formerly codenamed Exercise Crocodile Smile, troops were expected to practice what they have learnt in the classrooms to better prepare them on how to tackle criminal elements.

Fejokwu said: “We have rules of engagement, therefore, lawful citizens have nothing to fear but if we find criminals in the course of conducting the exercise, we will deal with them accordingly. There would be increased military movement by day and night and I urge law abiding citizens to go about their business without any fear.

“All we are trying to do is to work in synergy, carryout rehearsals and be sure of what we want to do so that when we have to conduct raids in the future such as cordon and search operations, all services will be on the same page and we will do it together the way it should be done, because we have rehearsed it and because we know what each service ought to do in any given situation.

“If we also have the security agencies on the street conducting exercises it would go a long way at deterring criminal activities in our society. We expect heightened security awareness and that citizens in the course of this exercise can report any case to the nearest field location, which are evenly distributed in the state. We are using our gun boats to patrol the waterways and deploying our own soldiers on the banks of so many jetties.”

In his remarks, Commander 9 Brigade, Brigadier General Lander Saraso, said the participating troops have been briefed to be friendly, civil with law abiding civilians but deal ruthlessly with criminals terrorising the society, within the ambit of the law.

He said the exercise would train the troops in certain aspects of counter terrorism/counter insurgency operations in the states, adding that its headquarters was sited at the Digital Bridge Institute, Oshodi, because it was close to some identified flash points such as Oshodi Isale.

Saraso said the ability of unit and sub-unit commanders to handle the press during internal operations would also be tested, adding that they would be exposed to the levels of service support available to them at the tactical level.