Nigeria destroys 2,819 seized illicit arms in security crackdown

July 30, 2026 12:00 PM EDT

Recovered, illicitly acquired, decommissioned and unserviceable firearms burn during a public destruction exercise organised by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Abuja, Nigeria, July 30, 2026. REUTERS/Marvellous Durowa

By Camillus ‌Eboh

ABUJA, July ​30 (Reuters) - ​Nigeria's arms control agency said on ‌Thursday it destroyed 2,819 illicit, ⁠obsolete and decommissioned weapons in ‌a bid to curb ‌insecurity fuelled by the proliferation of illegal arms.

• Agency ​chief Johnson Kokumo said the weapons were destroyed ⁠beyond recovery in a public exercise ​aimed at preventing them from re-entering circulation.

• The destruction ​comes as Nigeria ‌battles banditry, kidnappings, insurgency and communal violence, ⁠which authorities say are sustained by the proliferation of ⁠illicit weapons.

• Officials said more than ​21,000 illicit weapons have been seized since the agency was established in ‌2021 and more than 19,000 destroyed to ‌keep them out of ⁠circulation permanently.

(Reporting ‌by Camillus ​Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Sharon ‌Singleton)



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