The Federal Government has urged members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to actively participate in efforts to curb the spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) across the country.
The Northeast Zonal Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Adamu (Rtd), gave the charge on Tuesday at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Bauchi.
Adamu, who was represented by the Assistant Director of Strategic Communication and Information, Mr. Adamu Saleh, said the active involvement of youths, particularly corps members, would make a significant impact in addressing insecurity.
He explained that the NCCSALW, established in 2021 under the Office of the National Security Adviser, serves as the institutional framework for regulating and controlling SALW in Nigeria.
According to him, the proliferation of such weapons fuels banditry, kidnapping, cultism, political thuggery, insurgency, and other criminal activities.
“When you get to your places of primary assignment, be good ambassadors of your parents, NYSC, your state and yourself by reporting anyone in possession or involved in the fabrication of small arms and light weapons,” he urged.
He also called on the Bauchi NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Umoren Kufre, to partner with the centre to establish a Small Arms and Light Weapons Community Development Service (CDS) group in the state, similar to the one already operational in Borno.
In his response, Kufre welcomed the proposal and assured that steps would be taken to establish the CDS group to support the campaign.
