The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), South-South Zone, has intensified efforts to secure Nigeria’s waterways against the movement of illicit firearms, calling on maritime workers to remain vigilant and provide credible intelligence to security agencies.
The Zonal Director of the Centre, South-South Zone, Dr Alex Ebimiebo, made the call during a one-day sensitisation meeting with members of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria held on Thursday at the NCCSALW Zonal Office in Calabar.
Ebimiebo said the engagement was organised to deepen awareness of the Centre’s mandate and galvanise maritime workers to support the fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, particularly along waterways and maritime routes linking Nigeria with neighbouring countries, including Cameroon.
He explained that NCCSALW operates differently from conventional security agencies, noting that its personnel do not wear uniforms or carry arms, making intelligence from members of the public critical to its operations.
“Because these crimes are committed by faceless people, the only way we can go after such people is through information and intelligence brought to us by kind-hearted people like the maritime workers and other stakeholders in society,” he said.
The zonal director stressed that tackling illicit small arms and light weapons was central to addressing insecurity in Nigeria, given the role of such weapons in violent crimes and other security challenges.
He said the fight against insecurity must go beyond responding to violent incidents to identifying and blocking the sources and routes through which illegal firearms enter and circulate within the country.
Ebimiebo described maritime workers as critical partners in the campaign because of their daily access to waterways and interaction with passengers, boats, cargo and other goods transported through the maritime environment.
He urged them to remain vigilant about passengers and the contents of luggage transported through the waterways, warning that illicit firearms could be concealed among legitimate goods.
“You are the ones who see what is happening in our waterways. While we are sensitising you, we urge you to be very vigilant to help yourselves and thoroughly check what your passengers are carrying,” he said.
The NCCSALW zonal director called on maritime operators to encourage passengers to disclose the contents of their luggage and ensure that goods transported through their facilities were properly inspected and, where applicable, scanned.
He said such vigilance would not only assist efforts to prevent the movement of illicit arms but also protect maritime workers from being inadvertently implicated in crimes committed by passengers or individuals using their services.
“Whenever you are seeing something, try and reach us through our toll-free line. Whatever you do, you have helped us and helped yourself because you don’t know when it might be used against you or your family,” Ebimiebo said.
Ebimiebo urged members of the union to regard the campaign against illicit arms proliferation as a collective responsibility, stressing that security agencies could not effectively monitor Nigeria’s vast waterways without the cooperation of those who operate within the maritime environment daily.
He said the sensitisation meeting marked an important step towards strengthening collaboration between NCCSALW, maritime workers and other stakeholders, adding that sustained cooperation remained essential to stemming the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and improving security across the country.
Speaking on behalf of other participants, Mr. Offiong Ita, a boat operator at Marina Beach, pledged the commitment of maritime workers to collaborate with the Centre in combating the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons. He assured the Centre that boat operators and other stakeholders would remain vigilant and support efforts to identify and report suspicious activities along the waterways.
By Kingsley Agim
