Monday, September 23

Guns Everywhere as Buhari Moves to Check Illegal Flow of Small Arms into Nigeria

By Dele Ogbodo With increasing wave of killings and mayhem across Nigeria, allegedly perpetuated by bandits, Fulani herdsmen, cultists, militia and Boko Haram, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday arrived in N’Djamena, the Chadian capital seeking wider cooperation among countries of Sahel and Saharan regions to counter the infiltration of small arms to Nigeria. With guns everywhere government and the public have expressed deep concern on deep seated threat to human rights and internal security of Nigeria. In the last two weeks, villages and towns across the North-central, North-east and North-west have been held under siege at gun point. Vulnerable women and children are being kidnapped on daily basis in Kaduna State. Mr. Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity in a statement made available to SHARPEDGENews Online on Saturday acknowledged that the Nigerian leader is participating in the one-day sxtraordinary Session of the conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, CEN-SAD, alongside his host and current Chairperson of CEN-SAD, Idriss Deby Itno and their counterparts from Niger and Togo, with high-level representations from other member-countries. Shehu, said: “Nigeria under President Buhari has worked closely with immediate neighbours in the last few years to stem the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons making their way into Nigeria, but the “very disturbing recent developments” have impelled the administration to seek support from a wider circle of countries if the illegal inflows are to be curtailed.” According to him, the President is also putting on the table for discussions, the problems of irregular migration, trafficking in persons, especially of women and children as part of the security nature of his engagements. It is in view of the significance of this organization and the role it can play in furthering domestic security that President Buhari ordered the reinvigoration of our nation’s interest, approved the payment of the backlog of unpaid funds and for a speedier work on the processes of the ratification of the treaty binding the members of the organization. While in N’Djamena, President Buhari is also expected to press for the protection of the well-being of the large population of Nigerians living both legally and illegally in Libya, which is the host country of the CEN-SAD Secretariat.

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