NCCSALW's Stakeholder Dinner Charts New Course for Coordinated Arms Control in North East

By Yusuf A Yusuf 

In a bold move signaling a new era of security cooperation in Nigeria's restive North East, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has orchestrated a landmark gathering of security stakeholders in Maiduguri, bringing together an unprecedented coalition to confront the region's worsening arms crisis.

The high stakes engagement, which blended formal deliberations with a strategic dinner, assembled a rare constellation of security leadership that included the North East Zonal Director of NCCSALW, Major General Adamu Abubakar (rtd), senior officials from the Zonal Centre, and top brass from the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Also present were the Special Adviser to Borno State Governor on Security and representatives from the Network of Civil Society Organizations.

Addressing the gathering, DIG Kokumo, speaking through Brigadier General MS Adamu, Director of Administration and Finance, delivered a stirring call to action, emphasizing that the battle against illicit weapons demands collective resolve rather than isolated interventions. 

He characterized the assembly as a family reunion of security patriots bound by a shared mission.

The DG's message was unequivocal, competitive approaches must give way to collaborative intelligence operations. He outlined a roadmap centered on joint task forces, community mobilization strategies, and enhanced tracking mechanisms to monitor weapons movements across state lines and international borders.

Major General Adamu Abubakar (rtd) struck an optimistic note, revealing that the North East Zone has already activated a multi-agency liaison framework. 

He described the stakeholder dinner as a diplomatic masterstroke that would birth weekly coordination meetings, ensuring the momentum generated transcends the evening's discussions.

Brigadier General Abdullahi Sabi Ishaq (Rtd.), Special Adviser on Security to Governor Babagana Zulum, reaffirmed Borno State's steadfast commitment to the NCCSALW's vision, stressing that security remains the bedrock upon which all developmental aspirations in the state must be built.

Abubakar Suleiman, Executive Director of the Network of Civil Society Organizations in Borno State (NECSOB), brought grassroots perspective to the dialogue, spotlighting the indispensable role community based organizations play in early warning systems and public sensitization campaigns against arms proliferation.

Barrister Zannah Mustapha of Future Prowess Foundation further enriched the conversation, underscoring the need to actively engage youth and traditional institutions as frontline partners in combating the spread of illegal weapons.

In a significant commitment,the DG assured participants that their concerns and recommendations would be carefully documented and transmitted to the Office of the National Security Adviser for policy implementation, ensuring that the collective wisdom gathered would yield concrete results.