The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali has suggested the establishment of a National Commission on the control of small arms and light weapons to check the rising cases of crisis in some parts of the country. In a statement he issued soon after Tuesday’s Security Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister said action must be hastened on the establishment of such Commission to check the proliferation of such weapons.
Dan Ali called for the immediate prosecution of people arrested in connection to crisis related matters, to ease tension in the Country.
“There is the need to hasten the establishment of a National Commission on the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria. Likewise, the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Sevices should prosecute all suspects arrested in the States,” he said.
The Minister thanked President Buhari for his continuous support for the Armed Forces and other security agencies in securing lives and property across the country.
On the issue of banditry in Zamfara and Kaduna States, the Minister suggested a replication of the operations of the Special Task Force in Jos, code named Operation Safe Haven in the two states, to restore normalcy.
“There is the need for Defence Headquarters to launch a Joint Task Force Operation similar to Operation SAFE HAVEN in Jos to cover Zamfara and Birnin Gwari axis of Kaduna State with its headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State State,” he said.
“There is need to employ other channels with the affected states to reduce tension by suspending the implementation of the Anti Open Grazing Law while also negotiating safe routes for the herders,” he stated.
There was no briefing at the end of the Security Council meeting, which lasted over four hours.
Present at the meeting was the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olanishakin, the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.
