The Federal Government has charged National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members to play an active role in curbing the spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons, SALW, across the country.
Northeast Zonal Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Adamu (Rtd), gave the charge Tuesday at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Bauchi.
Adamu, represented by Mr. Adamu Saleh, Assistant Director of Strategic Communication and Information, said the active involvement of youth, especially corps members, would significantly help tackle insecurity.
He explained that the NCCSALW, established in 2021 under the Office of the National Security Adviser, serves as the institutional framework for regulating and controlling SALW in Nigeria.
According to him, the proliferation of such weapons fuels banditry, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery, insurgency and other crimes.
“When you get to your places of primary assignment, be good ambassadors of your parents, NYSC, your state and yourself by reporting anyone in possession or involved in the fabrication of small arms and light weapons,” he urged.
He further called on the Bauchi NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Umoren Kufre, to partner with the centre to establish a Small Arms and Light Weapons Community Development Service, CDS, group in the state, similar to one already operational in Borno.
Responding, Kufre welcomed the proposal, assuring that efforts would be made to set up the CDS group to support the campaign.
