Nigeria Proposes Arms Control Deal For ECOWAS, AES

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

In an effort to tackle illicit arms trafficking across the region, Nigeria has proposed the inclusion of arms control and weapons tracing in the emerging cooperation framework between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).

Amb. Bianca Odumegwu- Ojukwu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the proposal during a meeting with the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, and his delegation in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu identified illicit trafficking and proliferation of small arms and light weapons as serious threats to national security, regional stability and sustainable development.

According to her, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence were among the security challenges fuelled by the circulation of illegal weapons.

The minister called for stronger cross-border coordination on weapons tracing and intelligence sharing with neighbouring countries and international partners across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.

She expressed optimism about the dialogue recently launched between ECOWAS and AES in Dakar, Senegal, urging that arms control and weapons tracing be incorporated into the framework emerging from their engagement.

Persecondnews recalls that ECOWAS and the Confederation of Sahel States held their first ministerial dialogue in Dakar, Senegal, on October 17, where they agreed to establish joint thematic working groups to develop a cooperation framework agreement between the two regional blocs.

The minister also identified cross-border trafficking, local artisanal production and the diversion of weapons from government stockpiles as sources of illicit arms proliferation.

She emphasised the need for stronger coordination among relevant agencies to improve weapons tracing, secure arms storage, investigate weapons diversion and strengthen end-user verification.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to regional and international arms-control instruments, including the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the African Union’s Silencing the Guns initiative, the Arms Trade Treaty and the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

In his remarks earlier, Earlier, Kokumo outlined the centre’s mandate and efforts to trace intercepted weapons, investigate trafficking networks, secure government stockpiles and destroy recovered illicit weapons to prevent their recirculation.

He requested stronger diplomatic support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate international cooperation and advance the centre’s mandate.

Both parties agreed on the need for stronger institutional collaboration, improved technical responses and coordinated diplomatic engagement to combat illicit arms trafficking and proliferation.