The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has urged security agencies to implement existing laws to curb the spread of small arms in Nigeria. Speaking at a consultative meeting in Abuja, Abubakar emphasised the need for effective enforcement of laws to control small-arms possession, citing the rising rate of illegal possession as a worrying trend.
“There are already some laws on the ground, but implementations of these laws are not actually being effective.
“So we need the authorities concerned, especially the security agencies, the police, the military, the customs, the immigration, and every other agency to enforce the law.
“We need to use the laws already on the ground to provide adequate control of small arms,” the Etsu Nupe said.
The meeting, organised by the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA), aimed to strengthen Nigeria’s implementation of the UN Programme of Action and International Tracing Instrument. Abubakar pledged the commitment of traditional institutions to support law enforcement agencies in controlling small arms possession.
Experts blamed the challenges of small arms proliferation on a lack of political will to implement existing laws. They called for integrating traditional institutions into the campaign against small arms proliferation, leveraging their role as custodians of local communities.
The meeting came ahead of the 2026 Biennial Meeting of States, where Nigeria’s efforts to control small arms will be reviewed. Experts emphasised that strengthening coordination mechanisms and modernising data systems will be crucial to achieving safer communities and stronger institutions
