Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), on Wednesday, cried out over the proliferation of weapons in the country, disclosing that an estimated six million illegal arms are in circulation in Nigeria.
Abubakar, who is also the chairman of the National Peace Committee, made this disclosure during dialogue session of the committee with key stakeholders in Abuja.
He said proliferation of weapons had worsened insecurity in Nigeria, resulting in over 80,000 deaths.
The former head of state said that the insecurity challenge confronting the country had gone beyond what its definition in the narrow sense of the military and had assumed an all-encompassing nature.
Abubakar identified such challenges as the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, increasing poverty, calls for balkanization of the country from different quarters, threat of hunger arising from insecurity that farmers have faced and continue to face, the increasing sense of collective despair and despondency among the populace, among others.
He added, “The proliferation of all calibre of weapons not only in our sub-region in general and in Nigeria in particular is worrying. It is estimated that there are over six million of such weapons in circulation in the country.
“This certainly exacerbated the insecurity that led to over 80,000 deaths and close to three million internally displaced persons.”
Giving an assessment of the security situation in the country, Abubakar said that the security forces are not just over stretched but under-strength and poorly funded, saying that the security agencies can perform better with more sophisticated weapons, equipment and more funding.
He said, “We believe Nigeria must find a way out of these problems. Our hope is that perhaps among us, by listening to your different perspectives, we can begin to build up confidence among our people so that we can hold together.
“So our hope is that we shall not only share our collective lamentations about the current situation, bit propose some concrete suggestions that can point the way forward, suggestions that can inspire more confidence among our people and ensure that our country remains one.”
The former head of state noted that President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of the meeting and gave it his blessings and support.
Traditional rulers, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III; John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi; Plateau State Governor and Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong; religious leaders, the service chiefs, top military brass, police and other security agencies attended the meeting.
Former Head of States, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who also spoke at the meeting urged all Nigerians, irrespective of religious and political differences, to see the nation’s challenges, including insecurity, as ones that must be tackled and resolved collectively.