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By Ike Uchechukwu
The European Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Leadership for Transformation and Empowerment Initiative (LITE Africa) began the destruction of 260 weapons and 5,510 weapons on Monday. in Calabar.
The weapons and ammunition were those surrendered by members of the now defunct Bakassi Strike Force, BSF, a militant organization and members of a state sectarian group.
Speaking in Calabar on Monday, Cross River State Gov. Prof. Ben Ayade of Cross River said the destruction of weapons and weapons would give people in the state more desire to work closely together with state government and security agencies.
Ayade, who said there are more than 33 illegal roads in the state, lamented that suspected armed smugglers are proliferating in the state with weapons across the roads.
He praised the state security agencies for working tirelessly to secure the state in conjunction with the Operation Akpakwu security team established by the state government to fight crime.
His words: “I wish to call on the federal government to capture former Bakassi militants as part of the federal government’s amnesty program. These young people who have given up their arms deserve empowerment and better rehabilitation to keep them out of the creeks, ”he said.
Ayade, who carried out the symbolic destruction of the weapons, urged those who had not yet surrendered their weapons to make and embrace peace for the growth of the state.
LITE Africa Representative, Mr. Joel Bisina, who spoke on behalf of EU-ECOWAS, said the dangers of illicit small arms and light weapons proliferation and their impact should not be underestimated. negative about peace and stability in various communities.
Bisina said small arms and light weapons continued to have devastating effects on the socio-economic situation in Nigeria and in the West African sub-region.
“In Nigeria, commercial transactions in small arms and light weapons have been increasing since the end of the Nigerian civil war. The trend continued despite the illegality of the trade.
“The wide availability, stocks and illicit flow of these weapons tend to exacerbate conflicts; undermine peace agreements, intensify violence and the effects on crime, hamper economic and social development, increase poverty and hamper democracy and good governance.
“In order to promote peace, reduce armed conflict and the proliferation of small arms in the region, LITE Africa and the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons, with the support of the EU / ECOWAS, s ‘strive to strengthen efforts to prevent further proliferation and trafficking of illicit arms in Nigeria,’ he said.
Mr. Dickson Orji, a representative of the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons, said the committee was established in 2013 with the mandate to be the focal point of Nigeria’s efforts to stem the tide of proliferation. illicit weapons.
Orji said that the Nigerian EU-ECOWAS small arms component under the current pilot phase is focused in the seven states of Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
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