The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that the Federal Government has destroyed over 19,000 illicit weapons since 2022 as part of its sustained efforts to curb terrorism and banditry.
Ribadu disclosed this on Saturday in Sokoto at a brainstorming session themed: “Coping with Banditry in Sokoto State: A Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue for Prevention, Containment and Community Resilience.”
The event was convened by the Sokoto Advancement Forum (SAF), in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
Ribadu, represented by Barrister Zakariyya Mijinyawa, said under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the government is strengthening its response through military operations, intelligence gathering, law enforcement, border security and inter-agency cooperation.
He said Operation FANSAN YAMMA remains key to coordinating security operations across the North-West, adding that efforts would be sustained to disrupt criminal networks and protect vulnerable communities.
Citing the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), retired DIG Johnson Kokumo, Ribadu said the Centre recovered 5,449 firearms and destroyed 1,419 illicit weapons in recent nationwide operations in September 2026.
“These figures demonstrate the importance of sustained weapons-control operations. The NCCSALW and relevant security agencies will continue to strengthen efforts to disrupt arms-trafficking networks, trace recovered weapons and prevent illicit firearms from reaching criminal groups,” he said.
The NSA stressed that lasting security requires sustained government presence in recovered communities, alongside military operations.
He said the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is advancing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach through the National Crisis Management Doctrine (NCMD) to improve preparedness and coordination.
For Sokoto, he listed priorities to include denying criminal groups safe havens through intelligence-led operations around vulnerable settlements, forest corridors and border communities, with support from State Forest Guards and NSCDC Agro-Rangers.
He also called for strengthened cross-border intelligence-sharing, early-warning systems linking local authorities, traditional rulers and security focal points, and prompt response to reports from areas like Sabon Birni, Isa, Tangaza and Goronyo.
Ribadu emphasised community partnership, countering misinformation, protecting livelihoods, and preventing youth recruitment through education and employment.
“Reintegration must never replace justice or reward violence. National security frameworks can succeed only when communities help translate them into local action,” he added.
He commended the Sokoto Advancement Forum for its Blueprint for the Strategic Development of Sokoto State, urging stakeholders to produce practical outcomes, including a community security and early-warning plan.
“Let this dialogue mark a decisive step towards a safer Sokoto — one where communities live without fear, agriculture and commerce flourish, young people pursue productive lives, and public institutions protect every citizen,” he said.