The head of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), DIG Johnson Babatunde Kokumo (Rtd), led a team of directors on a visit to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Rilwan Disu on 16 July 2026, aimed at deepening cooperation between the two bodies in tackling the spread of illegal weapons across Nigeria.
During the visit, Kokumo congratulated Disu on his leadership of the force, pointing to the IGP's six-point agenda built around professionalism, accountability, integrity, modernisation, community partnership and public trust.
He also praised the police for what he described as a long-standing working relationship with the centre, singling out its role in handing over nearly 12,000 illegal, outdated and decommissioned firearms for destruction.
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Kokumo pointed to the destruction of more than 16,000 illegal weapons nationwide to date as evidence of the centre's progress, carried out in keeping with recognised international standards.
He argued that reducing the availability of illicit arms remains central to tackling banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crime, and called for closer cooperation between the two agencies on intelligence sharing, joint operations, armoury security, training, prosecuting arms-related offences and raising public awareness.
For his part, the IGP pledged the force's continued commitment to working with the centre, calling for stronger institutional ties, real-time intelligence exchange, tighter control and accountability around armouries, and public campaigns encouraging civilians holding illegal firearms to hand them in voluntarily through lawful channels.
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