- This announcement follows the destruction of decommissioned and recovered illicit arms by the NSA last week
National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has revealed that the federal government is investigating the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as a significant route for arms trafficking into Nigeria.
Speaking during a seminar on “Climate Change and the Changing Dynamics of Arms Proliferation and Insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea: Nigeria in Perspective,” Ribadu said the investigation aims to curb the flow of illegal arms to non-state actors.
The GoG, which spans 16 countries including Nigeria, has become a hotspot for organized crime syndicates involved in arms smuggling, drug trafficking, human trafficking, oil theft, piracy, and other illicit activities.
Ribadu noted that while the GoG’s natural resources and mineral wealth, including 24 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, contribute to global trade, they also attract criminal elements.
The seminar addressed the need to further explore the connection between climate change, armed violence, and arms proliferation in the region.
This announcement follows the destruction of decommissioned and recovered illicit arms by the NSA last week. Ribadu emphasized that illegal arms smuggling through the GoG would not be tolerated as efforts to tackle these security challenges intensify.