By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The Nigerian Navy yesterday, told the House of Representatives that some Nigeria’s neighbouring countries do not have armouries, making war against Proliferation of illegal arms difficult for the country.

Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff, (CNS), who was represented by Commodore Jemila Sadiq Abubakar, made the disclosure at a public hearing on four security bills by the House Committee on National Security and intelligence.

This is even as stakeholders at the public hearing on a Bill to establish the Commission against Proliferation of arms and light weapons, rejected Foreign Affairs Minister as the Chairman of the proposed Commission.

The proposed legislations were; bill to establish the National Commission against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons, bill to make Provision for the Integration of Private Close Circuit Television (CCTV), bill to Repeal the Explosives Act, and bill to designate the month of November as the National Appreciation for Security Agencies Month.

While making contributions to the bill seeking to establish the National Commission against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, Abubakar said the weapons donated by developed countries to neighbouring nations were compounding Nigeria’s security challenges.

She said the lack of armoury in some of the neighbouring countries made arms available to Chadean soldiers, who in turn sell them when they are broke.

“Section 9 (1) suggests an additional function of proposing a seized weapons and arms be used by security agencies; I think we can look at the provisions of the international convention on the issue of how the arms should be used when seized.

“Other sections have been addressed by our colleagues, so I’m sure their presentations have been submitted.

“I want to contribute to the coming seminar on the operation of arms to be organized by the House of Representatives.

“I was in charge as a member of the fight against Boko Haram and I can tell you categorically here, I stand to be corrected, that some of these countries that we have borders with have no armoury.

“They do not have armoury. So most of their arms that are being donated by — I don’t want to be specific — the developed countries in the name of assisting us to fight our problems — are compounding our problems in Nigeria because you find out that each average Chadean soldier has 20 to 30 arms underneath his bed. When he is broke, he brings it out and sells it for 30 dollars, 20 dollars. I am here, I am standing here, and I am saying it.

“Since we are going to collaborate with ECOWAS and other countries that are donating such arms to these countries (African countries) I think we should insist that they should either enact laws to govern the handling of these arms and ammunition or build an armoury for these countries or else we will not see peace”,  the Naval Chief said.

Speaking on the bill to establish integration of private close circuit television (CCTV) to fight insecurity, Abubakar said: “I think we should build a wall between us and these neighbouring countries or we should have serious surveillance or else we will not see peace in this country. I am telling you this, I have been in that area for years, so I know what is happening.

Other stakeholders who also spoke on the small arms and light weapons Commission, said since members of the Commission were mostly arms bearing security agencies, it was only appropriate for Minister of Interior to be Chairman of the Commission and not Minister of Foreign Affairs as proposed.

Speaking earlier, Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House, said “knowledge would be drawn from everywhere,” because security is an important national issue.

“The security agencies are welcome to make submissions but everyone is welcome to submit as well. I say so because I want to underscore the fact that security is about everyone and we are all stakeholders,” he said.