Insecurity: Senate Passes Bill To Establish Commission Against Arms Proliferation
PRESS STATEMENT
Insecurity: Senate Passes Bill To
Establish Commission Against Arms Proliferation
The Senate has On Tuesday July 26,
2022 passed into law a Bill to establish the National Commission for the
Coordination and Control of the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons
(Establishment), 2022.
The passage of the Bill was sequel to
the presentation of its report by the Committee on National Security and
Intelligence before the Chamber for consideration.
The Bill is a consolidation of three
Bills - two Private-Member Bills and one from the Executive Arm of Government
against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
The Bills titled “The Nigerian
National Commission Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons
(Establishment) Bill, 2020(SB. 283)”, “The Nigerian National Commission Against
the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2020
(SB. 513)” and “The National Centre for the Coordination and Control of the
Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2021 (SB.
794)”.
The Consolidated Bills were debated
and successfully scaled through Second Reading and were referred to the
Committee on National Security and Intelligence for further legislative work.
Presenting the Report on the Bills,
the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Ibrahim Gobir (APC - Sokoto East) said the
three Bills seek to provide for the establishment of a government body that
would be saddled with combating the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons
in Nigeria.
According to him, the functions of
the body shall be in line with Article 24 of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS) Convention on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light
Weapons which came into force in 2009.
The lawmaker, added that the
Committee on National Security and Intelligence, resolved to consolidate the
three Bills into one. He explained that doing so, would adequately cater for
the establishment of a Commission to implement measures aimed at eradicating
illicit arms.
Sen. Gobir noted that establishing a
Commission Against Proliferation of Weapons stemmed from the need to
immediately address the nation’s present state of insecurity.
The National Commission Against the Proliferation
of Small Arms and Light Weapons (Establishment) Bill, 2022, was passed into law
by the Senate, after its clause-by-clause consideration by the Committee of the
Whole.
Signed:
Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, FAI, FIMC, CMC,
FCP, Fsca
Special Assistant (Press)
To President of the Senate
Tuesday, July 26, 2022.