Commission Mulls 300,000 Personnel To Fight Illegal Arms Proliferation

As part of its efforts to fight the menace of arms proliferation in the country, the National Commission for the Coordination and Control of Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NATCOM) has disclosed that plans are underway to employ about 300,000 personnel.

The commission said the 300,000 personnel would be drawn from the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The NATCOM Acting Director-General, Otunba Adejare Adegbenro, said about 7,000 personnel would be employed from each state and the FCT to fight arms proliferation for a safer Nigeria.

Adegbenro, in a statement, therefore, called on Nigerians interested in being part of the great mission to watch out for the commission’s recruitment advertisement.

He noted, “We are going to employ about 300,000 personnel across the country to make our nation a safer place.

“We won’t just employ, they will all undergo effective training. This, in itself, will also reduce the unemployment rate in the country. We shall join forces with other security agencies in driving our course.

“Regarding the employment of 7000 personnel per state, those interested should be on the lookout for the guidelines on national dailies. But one thing is certain, we are looking for energetic and trainable youths.”

Naija News recalls that the move by the NATCOM acting boss comes barely a week after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for a multi-sectoral approach to address the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region.

The regional body, at a three-day workshop held with relevant stakeholders in Calabar, Cross River State, raised the need to establish a National Commission on Small Arms to tackle the challenge in the sub-region.

The ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mr Abdel-Fatal Musah, had said, “Government officials must muster the political will to uphold reintegration promises made.’’