Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has warned that illegal firearms are increasingly being transported from conflict-ridden parts of Northern Nigeria to the South-West, describing the trend as a growing threat to the country’s security.
Disu made the disclosure on Thursday while receiving the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
According to the police chief, intelligence gathered by security agencies indicates that weapons are being moved from areas plagued by insurgency and banditry, including Maiduguri in Borno State and Zamfara State, to other parts of the country through both road and water routes.
“Arms are moving everywhere in the country, using the roads, the waters and even other routes. Arms are moving from the battle areas, Maiduguri, Zamfara, down to the West. Most of the time they come by road and by water as well, so timely intelligence will help us solve this,” Disu said.
He stressed that stronger collaboration and real-time intelligence sharing among security agencies are essential to intercept illegal weapons before they reach criminal groups.
The Inspector-General also blamed Nigeria’s porous borders for the continued proliferation of illegal arms, saying traffickers have been taking advantage of poorly monitored entry points to smuggle weapons into the country.