Firearm News
Brazil,Colombia,Mexico,Venezuela,United States,India,Nigeria,South Africa,El Salvador
World is Far Less Violent: Global Murders Halving in a Decade
7 September 2016
Foreign Affairs (USA)
The world has never been safer than it is right now. Most forms of violence have dropped precipitously over the past few centuries. Although conflict deaths recently spiked (the war in Syria accounts for one third of all war-related killings today), fewer people are dying from warfare than at virtually any time in human history. Terrorist violence also increased over the past two years—especially in six countries the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia—but it still... (GunPolicy.org)
Of 500 Million Illegal Guns in West Africa, 70% Are in Nigeria
11 August 2016
Daily Trust (Abuja), Editorial
At the National Consultation on Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) in Abuja, organized by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM), it was revealed that Nigeria hosts 350 million or 70 per cent of the 500 million illegal arms in West Africa.
UNREC's director, Ms Olatokunbo Ige, provided the statistics during the consultation in Abuja and said... (GunPolicy.org)
UN Says 70% of Illegal Guns in West Africa Are in Nigeria
3 August 2016
Vanguard (Lagos)
ABUJA — The United Nations has raised alarm over proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Nigeria, with over 350 million.
According to the organisation, 70 per cent of estimated 500 million of such weapons said to be circulating in West Africa is domiciled in the country.
Director of United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, UNREC, Ms. Olatokunbo Ige, gave this startling statistics at the ongoing National... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigeria Task Force Urges Government to Curb Gun Proliferation
29 June 2016
Nation (Nigeria)
The National Task Force on Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons has urged the Federal Government to curb the proliferation of arms.
This followed attacks in Ogun State and other parts of the country by suspected militants.
It said the first step towards tackling insecurity was to enforce an effective mopping up of illegally imported arms, ammunition and light weapons.
The Southwest Coordinator of the organisation, Col. Anthony Awote (rtd),... (GunPolicy.org)
Failed Gun Amnesty Blamed for Firearm Violence in Nigeria
6 June 2016
Today (Nigeria)
The rising cases of armed struggles, including militancy championed by the Niger Delta Avengers, have been blamed on the poor implementation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and proliferation of Small Arms and Lights Weapons in the country.
This was disclosed in Abuja at the weekend by the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Ambassador Emmanuel Imohe, during the Inter-Ministerial Roundtable on the ATT in Nigeria organised in... (GunPolicy.org)
Between 1 and 3 Million Illegal Guns in Nigeria in 2009 [FR]
18 May 2016
Courrier International (France)
[Translated summary: According to a study by the Small Arms Survey made in 2009, Nigeria has between 1 and 3 million illegal small arms and light weapons.]
Acculés par Boko Haram et la désertification dans le nord du pays, les pasteurs peuls musulmans se déplacent vers le Sud, peuplé d'ethnies minoritaires d'agriculteurs souvent chrétiennes. Cette nouvelle configuration réveille et attise le séculaire conflit pastoral. Une bombe à retardement.
Depuis six ans,... (GunPolicy.org)
Owners of Permitted Firearms Must Renew Licences in Nigeria
18 May 2016
Leadership (Abuja)
Concerned about the increasing proliferation of prohibited firearms that threaten security in parts of the country, and as part of initiatives aimed at ensuring adequate protection of lives and property of the citizens, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, has urged persons in possession of non-prohibited firearms to immediately obtain or renew their licences before July, 2016 by following the process on the requisite web link of the Nigeria Police... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigerian Police Order Illegal Owners to Surrender Guns
17 May 2016
Daily Trust (Abuja)
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has warned individuals in possession of prohibited firearms to surrender them or risk arrest and prosecution.
The police also asked those with non prohibited firearms to renew their license, a statement Tuesday by police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Olabisi Kolawole, said.
She said the IGP is concerned about the increasing proliferation and use of prohibited firearms that threatens security in... (GunPolicy.org)
Mali,Burkina Faso,West Africa,Nigeria,Niger
Nations, Agencies Gather for West Africa Gun Control Talks
2 May 2016
Daily Trust (Nigeria)
The ECOWAS Commission, European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are jointly working on a strategy to check the prevalence of small arms and light weapons [SALW] in the hands of non-state actors and its implication for peace and security in the region.
At the third steering committee meeting of the ECOWAS-EU small arms project held recently, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), represented by the... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigerian Herdsmen Banned from Carrying Guns
20 April 2016
This Day (Lagos)
MINNA — The Niger State Police Command has waged a fresh war against Fulani herdsmen in a bid to check kidnapping and cattle rustling.
The police have therefore outlawed the carrying of arms and ammunition by the herdsmen under any guise.
The decision of the police to ban the carrying of arms by the herdsmen followed an increase in the number of firearms recovered from the pastoralists in the last six months.
The state police spokesman, Bala Elikana, told... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigeria Police to Pass Drug Tests Before Receiving Guns
6 April 2016
This Day (Lagos)
ABUJA -- The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has said the Force will henceforth carry out snap urine tests on all policemen for signs of drug abuse before they are issued lethal weapons. He said this may also be done at their operational points.
Arase stated that apart from retrieving their weapons, culprits would be provided appropriate help to wean them from drugs or other emotional or psychological issues that may trigger fatal outcomes in their line of... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Guns Flooding Nigeria, Fuelling Violence
12 March 2016
Daily Trust (Abuja)
In the last 10 years, the number of deaths as a result of violence in different parts of Nigeria has been spiking steadily. The fifth report of the Nigeria Watch Project released early this year indicates that between June 2006 and December 2015, a total of 94,470 deaths were recorded from fatal violence across the country. The country attained the climax in terms of number of deaths recorded from violence in the last 10 years in 2014 and 2015, accounting for 24 per... (GunPolicy.org)
Nigeria Officials Arrest Man for Stockpiling Assault Weapons
21 May 2014
This Day (Lagos)
The Lagos State Police Command yesterday arrested and paraded a former leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, for stockpiling arms and ammunition.
Also, the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, paraded other 10 suspects who specialised in using military uniforms to assault and brutalise innocent citizens, as well as other forms of atrocities.
It was gathered that Lamidi was arrested... (GunPolicy.org)
Questions Raised About Arms Seizures in Cameroon
14 April 2014
Voice of America
YAOUNDE — Cameroon's government says it has seized huge consignments of arms and ammunition destined for Nigerian militant group Boko Haram. Residents in the area of the alleged seizure, however, say they are unaware of any such activity.
"The governor of the Far North Region has congratulated the forces of law and order and administrative authorities of Logone and Chari Division for impounding a huge quantity of arms and ammunition which was being smuggled for... (GunPolicy.org)
Doubts Over Cameroonian Claims of Arms Cache Find in Nigeria
9 April 2014
Deutsche Welle
The announcement of the discovery in Cameroon of a large cache of arms and ammunition intended for Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria is regarded in some quarters as government propaganda.
There was alarm in northern Cameroon when it was announced in early April that two Italian priests and a nun had been kidnapped by suspected members of the Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is waging an insurgency in neighboring Nigeria.
The whereabouts of the three are still unknown.... (GunPolicy.org)
Several Assault Weapons Seized from Suspected Kidnappers in Nigeria
5 April 2014
Premium Times (Nigeria)
The Anambra State Police Command on Saturday paraded 19 suspected kidnappers.
The command also displayed arms and three bags of cannabis recovered from the hoodlums.
The arms include five AK-47 rifles; a barrater pistol, six pump action guns, 9,000 live cartridges; eight AK-47 magazines and a locally made pistol.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Gwary, paraded the suspects at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad Office in Awkuzu, near Onitsha in Anambra.
Mr.... (GunPolicy.org)
Cameroon Arrests Two Weapons Suppliers to Nigerian Terror Group
1 April 2014
Premium Times (Nigeria)
The Cameroonian security forces have succeeded in capturing two suspected arms suppliers to terrorists in Nigeria, an official has said.
According to a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, over 288 rifles, 35 Rocket Propelled Guns and 35 improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, were recovered from the suspects by the Cameroonian forces.
Mr. Olukolade said the recovery was made after a fierce encounter at Abugasse, Cameroon, close to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Africa,North Africa,Russia,Syria,Mali,Qatar,Turkey,Libya,Egypt,Chad,Somalia,Nigeria,Niger
Libya's Guns Free-For-All Fuels Region's Turmoil
22 March 2014
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
TRIPOLI — At the heart of the Libyan capital, the open-air Fish Market was once a place where residents went to buy everything from meat and seafood to clothes and pets. Now it's Tripoli's biggest arms market, with tables displaying pistols and assault rifles. Ask a vendor, and he can pull out bigger machine guns to sell for thousands of dollars.
Libya, where hundreds of militias hold sway and the central government is virtually powerless, is awash in millions of... (GunPolicy.org)
Turkish Airlines Denies Arms Shipment to Nigeria
20 March 2014
Daily Trust (Abuja)
Turkish Airlines has denied reports that it has been bringing arms into Nigeria which might have found its way to the Northeast, where Boko Haram militants have caused violence.
"Turkish Airlines has not been involved in any carriage of arms to that country (Nigeria) from Turkey nor from any country," the airline said in a statement yesterday.
The reports stem from a leaked tape, where Mehmet Karatas, an assistant executive of the airline, allegedly tells Mustafa... (GunPolicy.org)
West Africa,Central African Republic,Sudan,Nigeria,Congo (DRC),Cameroon,Libya
Arms Smuggling to Nigerian Criminals Threatens Cameroon
21 February 2014
IRIN (UN News)
YAOUNDE — Recent arms seizures and arrests of traffickers in Cameroon's Far North Region have highlighted the escalating insecurity caused by Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria and the impact of the unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan.
In January, Cameroon's security forces arrested a man attempting to transport 655 guns to Nigeria. In September 2013, 5,400 AK-47 rifles were seized on a pick-up truck in Maroua, the capital of Far North Region,... (GunPolicy.org)