Akinlade said that the Centre, worried by the recent increase in the spate of violence in Ekiti State including the killing of traditional rulers and kidnapping of school children, had stepped up collaborations with relevant stakeholders and the public in the war against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The zonal coordinator, who spoke at a press conference in Ado Ekiti as part of activities for International Day for Disarmament and Non-proliferation of Arms, where he called for support in the mop-up effort, said that criminal activities would be eradicated or reduced to the minimal if society could be ridden of arms and weapons.
Akinlade said that the Centre had been sensitising and orientating in the palaces, campuses of tertiary institutions, and the National Youths Service Corps Orientation Camp in the state on the need for patriotic citizens to collaborate so that the task of mopping the arms was realizable.
He said, “The Southwest Zonal Office of NCCSALW poises to sustain collaboration and synergize with other stakeholders and security agencies in identifying, profiling, arrest and prosecute arm traffickers as well as those with illicit possession of arms and ammunition within the zone.
“With cooperation from all relevant stakeholders, violent crimes, if not totally eradicated, could be reduced to the barest minimum. Report all illegal possession of arms and ammunition to the nearest security agency or directly to the personnel or office of NCCSALW.”
He said that the Centre had since its creation in 2021 been recovering a large number of arms from society through the military and Nigeria Police for profiling and destruction “so as not to get back to the society through unpatriotic citizens across the strata of the society”.
Akinlade also seeks the support of the media for the Centre in the advocacy and sensitisation drive of the members of the public on the bane of illicit possession of firearms from Nigerian society.
