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ECOWAS raises alarm over diversion of legally held arms in West Africa

  • Monday September 07, 2026 02:09PM
  • By Kunle Oropo
  • Reading Time: 3 mins read
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  • Description: ECOWAS

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    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged member countries to strengthen the management and security of government arms stockpiles to prevent legally acquired weapons from being diverted into criminal hands.

     

    The regional body warned that diversion from authorised weapons and ammunition depots could pose as much danger to national security as the illicit trafficking of arms across international borders.

     

    The warning was issued on Monday in Port Harcourt during a five-day training programme on physical security, stockpile management and property management for national security in Nigeria.

     

    The training was organised by the ECOWAS Small Arms Division in collaboration with the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies.

     

    Acting Head of the ECOWAS Small Arms Division, Abayomi Adeomi, said the growing security challenges across West Africa required governments to pay greater attention to how weapons legally held by security agencies were stored, documented and ultimately disposed of.

     

    Adeomi said the focus on combating cross-border arms trafficking should be matched with measures to prevent weapons from authorised government stockpiles from being stolen, lost or diverted.

     

    “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,” he said.

     

    He described effective stockpile management as a critical component of national security, conflict prevention and peace-building.

     

    According to him, accurate inventories, routine inspections, safe handling procedures, disciplined control systems and properly trained personnel are essential to preventing theft, loss, diversion and accidental explosions.

     

    He also stressed the importance of promptly destroying obsolete, surplus and unserviceable weapons and ammunition.

     

    Adeomi commended the Federal Government, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) and the Rivers State Government for supporting the training.

     

    He said the partnership between ECOWAS and the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies was helping to turn regional commitments on arms control into practical capacity-building initiatives across member states.

     

    Nigeria destroys over 17,000 weapons

     

    Meanwhile, the NCCSALW disclosed that it had destroyed more than 17,000 illicit, unserviceable, obsolete and decommissioned weapons since its establishment in 2021.

     

    The centre also said over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunition had been destroyed during the period.

     

    The Director-General of the centre, Johnson Kokumo, who was represented at the event by the South-South Zonal Director, Alex Ebimiebo, said the destruction exercise formed part of Nigeria's broader efforts to prevent weapons from returning to circulation.

     

    “Since its inception, the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapon has destroyed over 17,000 illicit, unserviceable, obsolete and decommissioned weapons as well as over 20,000 rounds of illicit ammunitions,” he said.

     

    Ebimiebo said Nigeria's efforts to address the proliferation of small arms and light weapons predated the establishment of the centre.

     

    He recalled that the Federal Government inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons, known as PRESCAL, in 2013 as a multi-agency platform for coordinating national efforts against illicit arms proliferation.

     

    The government subsequently established the NCCSALW in 2021 to provide what he described as a more permanent and robust institutional framework for tackling the problem.

     

    He said the centre had continued to focus on capacity building for the armed forces, police and other law enforcement agencies.

     

    Its areas of focus, he added, include weapons and ammunition management, physical security, stockpile management, arms marking and tracing, record keeping and procedures for preventing weapons loss and diversion.

     

    Training security agencies

     

    Ebimiebo said effective arms control depended not only on government policies but also on personnel capable of implementing international standards at armouries, ammunition depots and other storage facilities.

     

    He described cooperation with ECOWAS, the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies and other development partners as essential to tackling the transnational nature of illicit arms proliferation.

     

    “Illicit arms proliferation is transnational in character and cannot be effectively addressed by any single institution or country acting alone,” he said.

     

    He added that proper documentation and the destruction of decommissioned weapons and ammunition permanently remove such materials from circulation, reducing the possibility of diversion and strengthening public confidence in Nigeria's arms-control system.

     

    Poor stockpile management poses risks

     

    The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Everest Okoro, also warned that inadequate management of weapons and ammunition stockpiles could expose security agencies and surrounding communities to serious risks.

     

    Okoro, represented by the Commander, 6 Division Garrison and Commander, Sector 3, Joint Task Force, South-South Operation Delta Safe, Brigadier-General A.A. Bello, said poorly secured stockpiles could become targets for theft, unauthorised access and diversion.

     

    He said deterioration and poor storage could also result in accidental explosions.

     

    “Poorly managed stockpiles increase the risk of theft, diversion, unauthorised access, deterioration and unplanned explosion with potentially serious consequences for military personnel, surrounding communities and national security,” Okoro said.

     

    He noted that proper stockpile management not only protects lives and military equipment but also helps prevent weapons and ammunition from reaching criminals, terrorists and other unauthorised non-state actors.

     

    “Our procedures must remain consistent with recognised and international best practices,” he added.

     

    The five-day training brought together 20 participants from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.

     

    It was designed to strengthen the capacity of security personnel in weapons and ammunition management, physical security and stockpile control.

     

    Participants were drawn from security and paramilitary agencies operating in Rivers State, the Niger Delta and adjoining areas, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services and police.

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