ECOWAS Warns West African States Against Diversion of Legally Acquired Arms

The Economic Community of West African States has warned member states against the diversion of legally acquired arms for illicit purposes, describing the practice as a grave threat to national security. The regional body gave the warning on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during a five-day training on physical security, stockpile management and property management for national security in Nigeria. The training was organised by the ECOWAS Small Arms Division in partnership with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. Speaking at the event, the Acting Head of the ECOWAS Small Arms Division, Abayomi Adeomi, said attention must extend beyond the illegal trafficking of weapons across borders to the diversion of arms from authorised government stockpiles. Adeomi commended the Federal Government, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons and the Rivers State Government for their cooperation in hosting the programme. He said, 'While most attention is often paid to weapons trafficked across borders, we must equally remain vigilant about the diversion of weapons from legally authorised stockpiles of Member States.' Adeomi stressed that effective stockpile management was not merely an administrative responsibility but a critical component of national security, conflict prevention and peace building. He said accurate inventories, routine inspections, safe handling procedures, competent personnel and the timely destruction of surplus and obsolete weapons were essential safeguards against theft, loss, diversion and accidental explosions. Meanwhile, the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, Johnson Kokumo, disclosed that the centre had destroyed more than 17,000 illicit, unserviceable, obsolete and decommissioned weapons, as well as over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunition, since its establishment in 2021. Kokumo, who was represented by the Zonal Director, South-South, Alex Ebimiebo, said the achievement reflected the Federal Government's efforts to address the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. He said the centre was established in 2021 to provide a permanent and robust institutional framework for coordinating the country's response to the proliferation of illicit arms.