National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has strongly criticized policemen and soldiers who steal and sell arms and ammunition from their formations to criminal elements.
Ribadu made this statement in Abuja on Friday during the destruction of illegal arms by the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
He condemned these security agents, calling them “worse human beings” and emphasizing the need to stop such practices to restore peace and stability in the country. “We must find a way to end this if we want to reclaim our nation and live in peace and stability,” Ribadu said.
He further stated, “The worst human being is a policeman or soldier who takes arms from his own formations and sells them or hides them for bad people to use and kill his colleagues.”
Ribadu also cursed those security personnel who facilitate the movement of weapons to terrorists, bandits, and other non-state actors. He revealed that many of the illicit arms used in crimes across Nigeria originally belonged to the government.
Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security challenges, including a 15-year insurgency in the North-East led by Boko Haram and other jihadist groups, which has claimed over 40,000 lives. In the Central and North-West regions, criminal gangs known as “bandits” have been terrorizing communities, often collaborating with jihadists to expand their influence. Recent attacks in Niger State, for example, have highlighted the growing ties between bandits and jihadist factions.