The United Nations has pointed out that Nigeria was receiving huge flow of weapons – The biggest recipient of this illegal weapons are Boko Haram and militants – The can jeopardise national security and loss of lives The United Nations has raised alarm over how Nigeria is fast becoming a hub for the reception of guns and firearms in West Africa. Vanguard reports that over 350 million or 70 per cent of an estimated 500 million of weapons said to be circulating in West Africa were concentrated in Nigeria. Olatokunbo Ige who is the director of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) provided this information at the ongoing National Consultation on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) in Abuja which was organised by the Agency and Presidential Committee on Smalls Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM). She revealed that the circulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) was a threat to national security and to lives and properties. She said: “The illicit proliferation of SALW has had a dramatic impact on peace and security in Africa, threatening not only the existence of the state, but also the livelihoods of millions of people across the continent,” she said. “Nigerian is one of the countries that is experiencing some of the most devastating effects of the proliferation of SALW as a result of spillover effect of the recent crises in Libya, and Mali as well as unresolved internal conflicts in different parts of the country especially in the North East, Niger Delta and Southern regions. “While reliable data on the numbers of these weapons circulating freely in the country is unavailable, analysts have in recent times estimated that of the about 500 million weapons that may be circulating in West Africa in 2010, some 70 per cent of these could be found in Nigeria.” “As alarming as these figures seem, it is very clear that if left unchecked, this scourge will not only jeopardise the developmental gains achieved over the last 50 years, but will also impede the nation’s capacity to achieve its developmental targets and therefore, negatively impact on the future generations”. She said this has brought the need to check the flow of weapons though effective management. “It is widely acknowledged that one of the major factors contributing to the illicit proliferation of arms is the ineffective stockpile management.” She said the lack of checks has resulted in a high flow of weapons to the hands of Boko Haram in the north east and militants in the Niger Delta region.
She said that part of the activities of the PSSM project is to support security and stability in the region. Ms. Ige explained that the project, which is funded by the EU, has been developed jointly by the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs for the benefit of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria. “This project aims to support states in the region to prevent diversion and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition, by improving the PSSM of national stockpiles.”

We are really in deep shit and part of the blame goes to the UN itself,they should stop looking the other way and act fast before nigeria becomes history.

This is tragedic... whos supplying the weapons? How are they entering the country? What is wrong with our border? Has there been any weapon transport realted arrest?

If splitting is d solution to national peace, we should just do that...why this hulabaloo everytime..

God save our country

the Zoo Must burn

Long live Nigeria!