At a Naval Warfare seminar in Calabar, NCCSALW’s South South Director, Alex Ebimiebo, revealed Nigeria accounts for 70% of the 11 million illegal small arms in West Africa, fuelling violence, displacement, and economic strain. With 2.2 million internally displaced and 26,000 refugees in neighbouring countries, he stressed that tackling this crisis requires everyone’s involvement and strong collaboration across security agencies.
Rear Adm. Akinola Oludude highlighted Nigeria’s porous 4,470km land borders and extensive 853km coastline as factors worsening arms influx, with 70% of illegal weapons in the hands of non-state actors causing terrorism, banditry, and armed robbery. He called for joint, multi-agency efforts, echoed by Rear Adm. Kennedy Ezete who urged turning seminar insights into real action through sustained partnerships, enhanced training, and better intelligence.
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