Strengthening regional cooperation to mitigate SA/IED proliferation in West Africa

The Federal Government of Nigeria has urged for enhanced regional collaboration to address the escalating security risks associated with the spread of small arms (SA) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) within West Africa. This appeal was made during the opening of the ECOWAS Coordination Meeting of National Commissions on Small Arms, held in Abuja. Speaking on behalf of Nigeria, retired Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Johnson Kokumo, Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), emphasized the need for unified efforts among ECOWAS member states to counter these threats, which jeopardize regional stability and security. Kokumo argues that the threat posed by the proliferation of small arms and IEDs is not confined to a single nation-state and therefore requires a robust and unified response from federal governments.