A Naval officer, Commodore Jamila Malafa, has revealed that flat broke soldiers fighting on the frontline in the ongoing anti-insurgency war in the northeast sell arms to survive.
Making the revelation yesterday in Abuja while testifying before the house representatives committee on national security and intelligence that is considering four bills aimed at tackling the worsening insecurity in the country, the naval officer said an army officer watches over 30 weapons and whenever he lacks money, he sells some between N11, 000 and N15, 000.
However, she did not disclose the people whom the weapons were sold to.
Malafa who also accused the western nations of fuelling terrorism in the region declared: “The foreign nations supplying arms to this country to fight insurgency are not sincere. They make these arms available in excess to the soldiers fighting this war. One soldier sleeps on over 30 ammunition and anytime he is broke, he brings them out and sells between $20 and $30.”
“Besides, she suggested the building of a wall on Nigeria’s borders with its neighbours in the region as a measure towards stopping the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country,” she said.
Besides, Malafa said Nigeria’s neighbours’ lack of armouries encourages insurgency.
Speaker of the house, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, who declared the event open, clarified that two of the bills were referred by President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that all proposed pieces of legislation were to make the country a safer and better place where Nigerians could live without fear of molestation and victimisation.
“Therefore, these bills are a priority for the House of Representatives. We will consider them thoroughly and with due haste. And we will engage with stakeholders and citizens alike to make sure that these bills in their final form serve their purpose,” he added.
He welcomed submissions from security agencies and other stakeholders, just as he underscored the fact that security “is about everyone and not the security agencies alone.
