NATFORCE restates commitment to security of lives, property

The Director-General, National Commission for The Prohibition of Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition And Light Weapons (NATFORCE), Chief Osita Okereke, has said that it is committed to the protection of lives and property, especially in the face of rising crime rate in the country. Okereke, who stated this in his opening address at NATFORCE national stakeholders meeting, recently, in Abuja, said: “This meeting became inevitable considering the wave of security challenges Nigeria has to contend with, ranging from farmers/herders crisis, high rate of kidnapping and killings among others.” According to him: “In NATFORCE we are determined, as ever, to employ all security strategies to address and arrest all security problems that have continued to ravage our beloved country and her citizens, and with God on our side, all social ills which have been setbacks to development, including as illegal importation of fire arms, shall be curbed.” The DG commended President Muhammed Buhari on strides his administration is making in the fight against corruption, just as he congratulated the President on his recent recognition as the Best AntiCorruption President in Africa and pledged NATFORCE support to the anti-graft campaign of the administration. He also commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, and other members of the House for the support the National Commission for the prohibition of Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons Bill No. 639 of 2014, which was sponsored by Hon. Ibrahim Bello, has enjoyed from the legislators, having scaled through 2nd reading, while awaiting that of the upper Legislative Chamber, possibly when Senators resume after their annual vacation. Okereke noted that Nigeria as a member of the Economic Community of West Africans State (ECOWAS) is among 16 Countries signatory to the charter on the prohibition of small and medium arms, even as 14 of these countries have passed the Bill leaving only Nigeria and Gambia. While expressing hope that Bill would be passed into law before September this year, the DG said the success of the Bill at NASS has given the commission the impetus to begin processes of reorganization and recruitment in the 36 states including FCT, targeted at offering employment to at least 300 youths in the 774 local government areas in the country. He disclosed that NATFORCE state executives have been directed to put all necessary machinery in place for the recruitment and training in all the six geo-political zones of the country before September, 2018, as preparations towards the 2018 general elections goes into full gear considering the dangers of more security challenges that may come up. He vowed that the commission would never be a liability to the government as it would serve, not only as a security agency but as a revenue generating agency, set to generate over N6 trillion annually for the federal government without any cost to the government.