Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has raised a critical alarm over the escalating movement of illicit arms from conflict-ridden parts of Northern Nigeria to the South-West, warning that weapons are being transported through road and water routes, posing a growing threat to national security and the integrity of the 2027 general elections. Disu disclosed this on Thursday, July 16, 2026, during a visit by the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Babatunde Kokumo Johnson, to the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The police chief's warning comes as security agencies intensify preparations for the upcoming polls, with the proliferation of illegal firearms emerging as a significant concern.
According to Disu, intelligence available to security agencies indicates that arms are being moved from battle zones in Maiduguri, Borno State, and Zamfara State to other parts of the country, particularly the South-West. "Arms are moving everywhere in the country, using the roads, the waters and even other routes. Arms are moving from the battle areas, Maiduguri, Zamfara, down to the West. Most of the time they come by road and by water as well, so timely intelligence will help us solve this," Disu stated . He stressed the urgent need for real-time intelligence sharing among security agencies to intercept the weapons before they reach criminal elements. "Intelligence shared is invaluable. Everywhere in the world, intelligence sharing is going to real-time intelligence sharing so that we can quickly nip it in the bud," he added .
The Inspector-General attributed the influx of illegal arms into the country to Nigeria's porous borders, noting that traffickers had continued to exploit unmanned border routes to smuggle weapons. "Our borders are so porous, and these people have made up their minds to traffic arms. They will do anything possible to ensure the arms come into the country and get into the hands of those who want to use them to commit crimes," he said . Disu also expressed concern over the increasing sophistication of locally manufactured firearms, revealing that some of the weapons recovered by the police are almost indistinguishable from imported assault rifles, complete with serial numbers. "As police officers, we are recovering arms that we are even finding it difficult to identify because they look almost like imported arms. People are now producing weapons that look just like AK-47 rifles, complete with serial numbers," he warned .
The police chief called for intensified efforts to dismantle illegal arms manufacturing factories and black markets supplying such weapons, describing them as major drivers of insecurity. He further urged tighter monitoring of police armouries, warning that some security personnel had been implicated in the illegal diversion and sale of firearms. "We need to go back and look at our armouries, who is manning them and carry out periodic checks. Once in a while, officers of various agencies have been involved in the sale of illegal arms," he said . Disu reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to intensify the recovery of illegal weapons ahead of the 2027 general elections, adding that the operation for the surrender and recovery of weapons would become more intensive as the polls draw closer .
He emphasised the importance of civil disarmament campaigns to encourage the voluntary surrender of illicit firearms and urged the public to recognise that security is a collective responsibility. "We need to let them know that it is not only us putting on uniform that are security operatives. Policing is a collective responsibility. It is important to create the awareness that anybody carrying illegal arms around is going to use it on another citizen of the country," Disu said . He added that the focus of the operation is to develop a programme that will encourage people to surrender illegal arms in their possession .
Earlier, the Director-General of the NCCSALW, retired DIG Babatunde Kokumo Johnson, disclosed that the centre had destroyed more than 16,000 obsolete, decommissioned and unserviceable weapons since its establishment . Johnson said the Nigeria Police Force had supplied a total of 11,907 illicit, obsolete, decommissioned and unserviceable weapons to the centre, comprising 8,438 automatic weapons and 3,489 locally fabricated firearms . He described the spread of illegal weapons as a major driver of terrorism, violent extremism, banditry and other violent crimes, stressing that the availability of illicit weapons encourages violent extremism and all forms of violent crime .
The alarm raised by the Inspector-General underscores the growing concern over the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria, a challenge that has been exacerbated by the country's porous borders and the influx of weapons from conflict zones in the Sahel region. Security experts have long warned that the movement of arms from the North to other parts of the country poses a significant threat to national security, with criminal groups exploiting the availability of weapons to perpetrate violence. As the 2027 elections approach, the police have made it clear that the recovery of illegal arms will be a top priority, with Disu vowing that every arm discovered and destroyed will make the job of securing the nation easier. "We cannot continue to have this great number of recovered arms being recirculated back into society. Every arm discovered, every arm destroyed will make my job easier. So it's a joint operation, it's a joint mission that we have," he declared .
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