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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

ECOWAS Warns Against Diversion of Lawfully Acquired Weapons

From Vanguard · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • ECOWAS urged West African countries to strengthen controls over authorised weapons stockpiles and prevent their diversion for illicit purposes.
  • The warning came during a five-day security training in Port Harcourt involving Nigerian military, police and paramilitary personnel.
  • Nigeria’s small-arms control centre said it had destroyed more than 17,000 unserviceable weapons and over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunition since its creation.

ECOWAS has urged member states to remain vigilant not only against weapons trafficked across borders, but also against arms diverted from official stockpiles. The warning came during a five-day training programme in Port Harcourt focused on physical security, stockpile management and property management.

Abayomi Adeomi, acting head of the ECOWAS Small Arms Division, said the programme brought together personnel from Nigeria’s Army, Police, Air Force, Navy and other paramilitary agencies. ECOWAS organised the training with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies, with support from the Nigerian federal government, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Rivers State government.

Adeomi said West Africa continued to face interconnected security challenges. He argued that efforts to curb arms proliferation must address weaknesses inside authorised stockpiles as well as illegal trafficking. “While most attention is often paid to weapons trafficked across borders, we must equally remain vigilant about the diversion of weapons from lawful authorised stockpiles of member states,” he said.

While most attention is often paid to weapons trafficked across borders, we must equally remain vigilant about the diversion of weapons from lawful authorised stockpiles of member states.

· Abayomi AdeomiThe acting head of the ECOWAS Small Arms Division warned that official stockpiles can also become a source of illicit weapons.

He described stockpile management as more than a technical administrative task, pointing to accurate inventories, strict control, routine inspections, safe handling, trained personnel and the timely destruction of surplus and decommissioned weapons as safeguards against diversion, theft, loss and accidental explosions.

Alex Inemo Ebimiebo, the South-South zonal director of Nigeria’s small-arms control centre, said the agency had destroyed more than 17,000 unserviceable, obsolete and decommissioned weapons, along with over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunition. The centre, established in 2021, has also focused on weapons marking and tracking, record keeping, physical security and preventing the loss or diversion of arms. Ebimiebo said proper documentation and destruction could stop decommissioned weapons from returning to circulation.

Comprehensive and effective stockpile management is therefore not just a mere technical administrative function.

· Abayomi AdeomiAdeomi outlined the importance of controls over weapons and ammunition held by member states.
About this summary

Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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