The national security adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu has said some police officers and soldiers gather arms from their security formations and sell them to criminals.
He made this remark on Thursday during the arms destruction exercise organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
The arms destruction exercise happened at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment Giri, Abuja.
Ribadu condemned security personnel who effect the transference of arms to terrorists and other non-state actors.
The NSA also said that some illegal arms being used to commit crimes across the country originally belonged to the government.
He added that the destruction of the recovered and obsolete arms depicted the federal government’s commitment to secure a future for all Nigerians.
“We have to find a way of putting a stop to this. We must, if we want to recover our country and live in peace and stability,” NAN quoted the NSA as saying.
“The worst human being is a policeman or a soldier who will take an arm from his own formations and sell it or hide it out for the bad people to come and kill his own colleagues.
“We must fight these people, but also there are merchants of death and evil from outside the world.
“The proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons remains a major threat to our national security, exacerbating issues such as insurgency, banditry, and other violent crimes.”
Ribadu further said that the federal government will continue to provide support to the NCCSALW toward guaranteeing the safety of every Nigerian.
The director-general of NCCSALW, Johnson Kokomo, said the proliferation of small arms posits a great challenge to the fight against insecurity in Nigeria.
He mentioned that the exercise would witness the destruction of more than 2,400 illegal weapons, which includes a mix of unserviceable, decommissioned, and recovered arms.
“These weapons have been mopped up by the military, police, and other security agencies across the country,” he said.
“By permanently removing these arms from circulation, we reduce the risk they pose to our communities and send a clear message that Nigeria will not tolerate the illegal trafficking and possession of small arms and light weapons.”