The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons on Tuesday raised alarms over increased activities of unauthorised organisations impersonating the body and defrauding innocent members of society with recruitments.
NCCSALW South West Zonal Coordinator, Ben Akinlade, who said a lot of arms were still in circulation following recent political activities and the 2020 EndSARS attacks on police formations, warned citizens against possession or carrying of illegal arms.
He harped on the imperative of fighting the war against arms proliferation within legal boundaries, saying activities of the impersonators were hazardous to the country.
Akinlade, who spoke at a press briefing in Ado Ekiti, said, “The action of these unauthorized bodies has the propensity to further compound the already complex task of small arms and light weapons control”.
He said that their activity might “potentially result in confusion and lack of credibility leading to administrative and legal disputes, which may hinder the NCCSALW from effectively carrying out its mandate”.
He said, “Some unscrupulous and unauthorized outfits have emerged, deceitfully presenting themselves as the focal organizations for the control of small arms and light weapons. They have gone to the extent of collecting money from members of the public seeking employment from them.”
Akinlade cautioned members of the public to be wary of the illegal organizations “who are already defrauding unsuspecting youths by asking them to pay money for offer of employment, urging citizens to report such organizations to the centre”.
The NCCSALW zonal director, who said the centre had been mopping up arms and as well building armouries, said, “Anybody carrying illegal arms will be caught and prosecuted. Also, any infringement on the duties of the centre will attract legal sanctions”.
