The Federal Government says more than 19,000 weapons have now been permanently destroyed since the establishment of the national arms-control agency in 2021.

Nigerian authorities have destroyed 2,819 illicit, obsolete and decommissioned firearms as part of efforts to prevent recovered weapons from returning to circulation and fuelling violent crime across the country.

The weapons were publicly destroyed in Abuja on Thursday, July 30, during an exercise organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Reuters reported that the firearms were recovered, illegally acquired, decommissioned or declared unserviceable before being transferred to the centre for permanent disposal.

Director-General of the centre, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Johnson Kokumo, said the weapons were destroyed beyond recovery to ensure that they could not be diverted or returned to criminal networks.

According to Kokumo, more than 21,000 illicit, obsolete and unusable weapons have been recovered since the centre was established in 2021. The latest destruction exercise raised the number permanently removed from circulation to more than 19,000.

The destroyed firearms reportedly included weapons seized during military and law-enforcement operations, arms recovered from criminal groups, and obsolete or unserviceable weapons surrendered by security institutions for disposal.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said the widespread circulation of illegal firearms remained a major contributor to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, communal conflict and other violent crimes in Nigeria.

Represented at the event by the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dennis Otuaro, Ribadu said publicly destroying recovered weapons demonstrated the government’s commitment to transparency and ensured that the arms would never again be used against Nigerian communities.

He said the government’s security strategy included stronger intelligence gathering, improved cooperation among security agencies, tighter border protection, disruption of criminal financing and increased international collaboration.

The government also called on Nigerians to report the illegal possession, production, trafficking or movement of firearms to security agencies. Traditional and religious leaders were urged to encourage peaceful coexistence and voluntary disarmament within their communities.

The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons coordinates Nigeria’s campaign against the proliferation of illicit firearms. It works with the armed forces, police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies to recover and permanently dispose of illegal weapons.

Nigeria continues to face security challenges involving insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, kidnapping and communal violence. Authorities say the availability of illicit small arms has enabled armed groups and criminal networks to sustain attacks in different parts of the country.

The July 30 exercise was intended to reassure the public that recovered firearms had been permanently destroyed rather than stored in facilities where they could be stolen, diverted or illegally recirculated.