Lagos — The State Security Service (SSS) has raised alarm, flaying the high rate of illicit arms proliferation in the country.

Making the fears of the service known in Lagos, the Commandant of the State Service Academy, Mr. Felix.O. Ikumupayi, said the high rate of illegal procurement and use of weapons was giving cause for serious concern to security and law enforcement agencies, particularly the SSS.

Ikumupayi, who made the remark in his welcome address at the Academy's May 2006 Monthly Lecture entitled: "The Proliferation of Illicit Weapons and its Implication on National Security", stated that illegal procurement and use of weapons was no longer at the stage of threat, but manifestation and reality.

According to him: " virtually on daily basis, we hear of armed robbery, cases of assassination, violent activities of armed militant groups, explosions and acid attacks. The resultant effects are casualties on human and material resources. It is believed that an average human being cannot do all these, if he is not enboldened by the weapons he illegally possesses.

"Officially, there is usually the importation of arms and ammunition for the use of security and law enforcement agencies", he said.

It is worthy to note that the handling of the weapons, their importation, storage and usage are regulated and controlled.

"For instance, before any agency can get arms, there will be need to apply, and to indicate the need for the arms and they are approved for importation, inspection, supervision of the storage facilities and accountability during usage.

"This is why we can't explain while some well-meaning citizens of this great country are contributing positively for the upliftment and development of it socio-economic, political, industrial and technological advancement, others are contributing negatively for the killing and wanton destruction of lives and property. "The current high incidents/cases of assassination, armed robbery, explosions and acid baths, among others are frightening and disturbing.

"It is more frightening that hired assasins as well as armed robbers and members of militant groups possess some more sophisticated weapons than security and law enforcement agencies and use them uncontrollably. There is no doubting the fact that these unwholesome activities have been enhanced and made possible as a result of the proliferation of illicit weapons in the country."

The Guest Lecturer, Dr. Ogala Oche, a Senior Reseach Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, did not only agree with the Commandant, he noted that proliferation of illicit weapons has become one of the most urgent security and developmental challenges in Africa today.

According to him, uncontrolled proliferation and widespread availability of illicit weapons is not only affecting virtually all African countries, but poses threats to democratic and regional security.

Oche, who said Africa was currently home to an estimated 30million illicit weapons, stated that such arms as revolvers, and self-loading pistols, riffles and carbines, assault riffles, submachine guns and light and heavy machine guns, by United Nations (UN's) definition, fall under illicit weapons.

Others are hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, recoilless riffles, portable launchers of ant-tank and anti-aircraft missle systems and mortars of less than 100mm calibre.

He said weapons in circulation in Nigeria come from local fabrication, residue of guns used during the civil war, thefts from government armouries, smuggling, dishonest government-accredited importers, returnees from international peace-keeping operations, insurgents and dissidents from neighbouring countries and some multi-national oil corporations in Niger Delta.

He also advanced factors responsible for the proliferations to include quest for profit, inadequent deterrents, poverty and deprivation, ethno-religious conflicts, culture and tradition and socio-political factors, pointing out that proliferation of illicit weapons had had serious impact on the nation's national security.

According to him, such impacts have manifested in increase in ethnic conflicts, menace of armed secret cults in tertiary institutions, armed robbers and electoral violence.

Oche noted with regret that government's weapon collection iniatives have been ineffective, stating that the national legislation on firearms control was weak. Added to that, he said there was lack of political will and commitment by government at all levels, weakness of the National Committee on illicit arms, non-involvement of civil society organisations in weapons collection processes, and absence of a comprhensive blueprint for sustained weapons collection programme. He called for a comprehensive National Arm Programme (NAP) in consonance with the Bamako Declarartion.

The major components of such action plan, he said, should include a fire arms legislation, establishment of national and regional agencies and points of contact, marking, tracking and record keeping, control of import, export, transfer and transit of illicit weapons, brokering and destruction and disposal.

Others are stockpile management, information sharing, demobilisation and integration of former combatants and enhancement of operational capacity of law enforcement agencies. National Action plans of this nature, he said, are already in existence in such countries as Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Kenya.

In attendance at the event were Lt.R.P.Karimo, who represented the Nigerian Navy Intelligence School, Assistant Controller of Immigration, Mr.R.T.A.Jaja, Col.H.M.Nyadar, who stood in for the Commandant, Nigeria Army Intelligence School, Apapa, and officers and men of the SSS.