A coalition of civil society organisations has called for tighter border surveillance following the interception of a large cache of illegal weapons in Sokoto State, warning that the continued smuggling of firearms poses a threat to national security.
The Department of State Services reportedly recovered 21 AK-47 rifles, four PKT machine guns and 825 magazines at Dawakawa in Goronyo Local Government Area of the state. The weapons were said to have been smuggled into Nigeria from neighbouring Niger Republic.
The coalition, in a joint statement issued in Bauchi State, said the seizure had potentially prevented attacks on civilians and religious centres in the region.
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It commended the DSS for the operation, describing it as evidence of the importance of intelligence gathering in tackling insecurity.
“This interception proves once again that no nation can effectively combat insecurity without credible intelligence gathering,” the group said.
The statement was signed by Job Samuel Danfulani of the Centre for Public Integrity; John Samuel Nangi of Nigeria Integrity Watch; Mohammed Ibrahim Sumaila of the Northern Council of Nigeria; Abdullahi Salisu of the Nigeria Ethnic Nationality Forum; and Hassana Mohammed of the Foundation for Democracy for Africa.
The organisations also praised the leadership of the DSS Director-General, Oluwaseyi Tosin Ajayi, and President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the country’s security architecture.
They acknowledged the contributions of the military and the Nigeria Police Force, while urging the Federal Government to improve border monitoring to block the entry of illegal arms.
The coalition warned that criminal elements could exploit the prevailing political climate to cause unrest, urging security agencies to remain focused and avoid political distractions.
It also called on Nigerians to provide security agencies with timely and credible information about suspicious activities, stressing that insecurity affected citizens regardless of their political or religious affiliations.
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