THE Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has stated that Nigeria cannot end the security crises in different parts of the country without first checking the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

Gbajabiamila made this known in Abuja on Monday at a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements on ‘ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and Other Related Materials (Ratification and Enforcement Bill, 2021.’

“Across the country, insecurity manifests in different ways, motivated by varying objectives. Whatever their motivations or objectives, these manifestations almost always involve small arms and light weapons.

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“Therefore, any governmental effort to purposefully address the challenges of insecurity must include a determined effort to control the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country,” the Speaker said.

Gbajabiamila, who was represented by the Deputy Majority Leader, Peter Akpatason, to declare the hearing open, noted that the House had in the recent past hosted a special summit on National Security to curate experts’ recommendations from within and outside government.

He said the lawmakers also held a ‘special technical retreat’ to draft legislation to reform critical national security institutions.