FG Has Destroyed More Than 19,000 Illicit Weapons Since 2022, Ribadu Says

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said in Sokoto that the government had destroyed more than 19,000 illicit weapons since 2022 to weaken terrorists, bandits and criminal networks. He reported that the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons recovered 5,449 firearms and destroyed 1,419 illicit weapons in nationwide operations in September 2026. Ribadu described Operation FANSAN YAMMA as a platform for coordinating security operations across the North-West. He said military action must be accompanied by effective governance and a sustained government presence in communities recovered from criminal groups.