NCCSALW DG Visits North East Zone, Reaffirms Commitment to Combating Illicit Weapons



By Yusuf A Yusuf, Damaturu 

In a decisive demonstration of the federal government's commitment to tackling the proliferation of illicit weapons in Nigeria's most conflict-affected region,the Director General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo (rtd), arrived in Maiduguri for a high-impact three-day official visit to the North East Zonal Centre.

The visit signals renewed vigour in the Centre's mandate under the Office of the National Security Adviser to curb the devastating effects of small arms and light weapons on communities across Nigeria's troubled North East.
Upon arrival in the Borno State capital, the former Deputy Inspector General of Police received a rousing reception from the North East Zonal Director of the NCCSALW, Major General Adamu Abubakar (retd), alongside senior management and staff. The warm reception highlighted the Centre's unified command structure and collective resolve to deliver on its critical national security mandate.

Demonstrating a hands on leadership approach,DIG Kokumo represented by Director of Administration and Finance, Brigadier General MS Adamu convened an immediate emergency strategy meeting with North East Zonal staff upon arrival. 

The closed door session addressed pressing operational challenges, personnel welfare concerns, and the strategic roadmap for enhanced border security coordination in the volatile Lake Chad region.The meeting Centre's responsiveness to emerging threats and its commitment to providing operational support for personnel working in challenging environments.
In a significant step toward institutional permanence, the DG conducted an on-site inspection of the Zone's ongoing permanent office complex.The facility is taking shape as a modern command and control centre designed to enhance the Centre's operational efficiency in the region.

DIG Kokumo expressed satisfaction with the progress of work while urging contractors to accelerate delivery timelines to provide a befitting operational base for the Zone. The facility, once completed, will significantly bolster the Centre's capacity to coordinate arms control efforts across the North East.

The DG also conducted a critical on-site inspection of the proposed Zonal Centre's Armoury site a visit aimed at ensuring strict compliance with global best practices in the storage, documentation, and safeguarding of recovered and voluntarily surrendered illicit arms and light weapons.

The inspection reaffirms Nigeria's commitment to international standards in arms control and management, crucial for building confidence with international partners and ensuring the safety of recovered weapons.

In a move reinforcing civil military collaboration, DIG Kokumo paid a strategic courtesy call on the Theatre Commander of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), Major General A.E. Abubakar, at the Maimalari Cantonment Headquarters. Discussions centred on enhancing intelligence sharing mechanisms to intercept illegal arms flows fuelling the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgencies.

The meeting highlighted the growing synergy between the NCCSALW and military operations in the region, a collaboration seen as vital to addressing the root causes of insecurity in the North East.




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