By Abdulkareem Haruna

The North East Zonal Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Major General Abubakar Adamu (rtd), has called on members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Borno State to actively help in the fight against illegal weapons and drug abuse.


Speaking to the 2025 Batch B Stream I corps members, General Adamu emphasized their role as “good ambassadors” of the country. He urged them to be law-abiding, shun hard drugs, and refuse to possess any small arms or dangerous weapons. The goal, he said, is to “eradicate illicit small arms and light weapons in the society” and promote peace.
Adamu also pledged the NCCSALW’s full support to the NYSC in Borno State, promising to assist corps members in their primary assignments and community development projects.


The NCCSALW was established in 2021 within the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to serve as the primary institution for regulating and controlling small arms and light weapons. General Adamu highlighted that the center’s creation was a direct response to the federal government’s efforts to combat the proliferation of illegal arms, not only in Nigeria but throughout the West African sub-region.


The center’s mandate is to lead a multi-stakeholder process, involving various government ministries, departments, agencies, and civil society organizations, to implement national, ECOWAS, and UN action plans on arms control.


Aminu Bello, the NCCSALW’s Assistant Director of Strategic Communication and Information for the North East Zone, provided further details on the center’s mission. Its vision is to foster an “illicit arms-free society,” and its mission is to “prevent and control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in collaboration with stakeholders towards strengthening peace and security of Nigeria.”


The center’s objectives, Bello explained, include institutionalizing arms control at all levels of government, mainstreaming the eradication of illegal weapons in national discourse, and ensuring compliance with international conventions and protocols.

Youth corp members at the event


In response, Borno State NYSC Coordinator Malam Nasiru Bello assured the NCCSALW that the corps members would embrace the call to action. He noted that the lecture was particularly timely as the youth corps members will soon be deployed to their primary assignments, many in rural communities.

“The corps members would be able to disseminate adequately and properly the message and conduct themselves peacefully as ambassadors of the nation,” Bello said, thanking the NCCSALW for sensitizing the young people who will, in turn, “pass the gospel to others in the society.”


The event concluded with a question-and-answer session, a souvenir presentation, and a group photograph.