Nigeria to Launch New Survey on Illicit Arms in 2026

The Federal Government of Nigeria has initiated preparations for a new National Baseline Survey on illicit small arms and light weapons, announced during a workshop in Abuja on Wednesday. This survey comes ten years after the first one conducted in 2016.

National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Solomon Fehintola, the Director of External Affairs at the Office of the National Security Adviser, stated that the proliferation of illicit weapons is directly linked to insecurity in Nigeria, fueling banditry, farmer-herder clashes, and supporting terrorist groups. Ribadu stressed the necessity of solid data for effective policy-making, asserting that responses to security threats must be evidence-based.

He highlighted the importance of a reliable national baseline for national security planning, which would enhance the tracking of weapons flows and disarmament efforts. Adedeji Ebo, from the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, noted that the 2016 data is outdated and insufficient for current security assessments, advocating for a comprehensive approach that includes community knowledge in the new survey.