Michael Olugbode in Abuja

A newly constructed containerized armoury has been handed to the Nigeria Police Force by the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Gunther.

It was delivered at the FCT Police Command Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to a statement by the German Embassy in Nigeria, beyond delivering a physical facility, the handover symbolised a meaningful partnership, shared responsibility, and a collective commitment to peace and security.

The statement lamented that illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the West African region continues to fuel armed violence, severely impacting civilians and communities. To respond to these threats, Germany works together with the Nigerian government on collaborative and innovative initiatives that strengthen national and local capacities in arms control.

It added that one such initiative is the project being celebrated on Tuesday and implemented by The Mines Advisory
Group (MAG) in close collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and the National Centre
for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

The project is part of a broader, multi-year regional intervention funded by the German
Federal Foreign Office aimed at reducing the human cost of armed violence in the Sahel and West Africa by supporting effective weapons management, building institutional and community resilience, and encouraging regional cooperation.

The project, according to the statement, is structured around three key objectives:

1. 2. 3. To help Individuals and communities affected by and exposed to the risk of armed violence be safe and secure from risks posed by SALW and their associated
   ammunition; To empower security sector actors and other key state agencies to be better able to implement good practice management of SALW and ammunition;
   To Increase state capacity to individually and collaboratively address risks related to
   SALW and ammunition.

The statement said in Nigeria, MAG and partners have already recorded key achievements under the current
project including the following:• 1,311 SALW Risk Education sessions have been delivered, reaching over 22,660
individuals in high-risk communities.

It added that 56 security and defence forces personnel were trained in armoury storekeeping and 24 personnel were trained in armoury management; 10 personnel were trained in weapons marking; 10 personnel were trained in weapons cutting; and 1 containerized armoury to secure small arms and small arms ammunition.

It revealed that in the coming months, MAG and partners will also continue to work in vulnerable communities affected by armed violence to deliver SALW risk education.

It said MAG will also continue to work with the NCCSALW to destroy obsolete weapons and secure more weapons.

The German Ambassador,, in her remarks stated that: “The success of the project is the result of strong partnerships. The effective collaboration between MAG, Nigerian institutions, and other regional actors shows what we can achieve when we work together.”

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