National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) says the National Taskforce on Prohibition of Illegal Importation/Smuggling of Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapons, Chemical Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism (NATFORCE) is an illegal security outfit.
Gatekeepers News reports that a Federal High Court in 2013 had declared the outfit as legal while a bill at the National Assembly also passed second reading at both the House of Representatives and Senate seeking to formally adopt it as a state security agency.
The sponsors of the bill are former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara (APC, Bauchi) and Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi) at the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively.
Ignoring all of these, the NSA in a statement on Sunday directed NATFORCE and other such groups to immediately end their operations nationwide.
ZM Usman, the Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser made this known in a statement titled, “Office of the National Security Adviser directs the dismantling of illegal security outfits.”
According to the statement, Maj-Gen Monguno directed the immediate dismantling of all illegal security outfits and warned against the use of these outfits to extort, harass and intimidate Nigerians.
The statement read in part, “In particular, the office has cautioned individuals, organisations and foreign partners on the activities of NATFORCE which was illegally formed as a task force to combat illegal importation and smuggling of small arms, ammunition and light weapons into Nigeria.
“The National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser is the national coordination mechanism for the control and monitoring of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Nigeria.
“The Office of the National Security Adviser has observed with concern the proliferation of illegal security outfits in the country.”
The NSA accused these illegal outfits of extorting, harassing and intimidating Nigerians while masquerading as part of the Nigerian security architecture.
He added, “One of such groups is NATFORCE which seeks to combat illegal importation of Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapons, Chemical Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism and has been involved in mounting illegal roadblocks, conducting illegal searches, seizures and
recruitment.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the general public and all stakeholders are to note that NATFORCE is an illegal outfit without any mandate or authority to carry out these functions.
“This trend is unacceptable and the promoters of NATFORCE are warned to dismantle their structures and operations immediately.
“Following the establishment of the NCCSALW on May 3, 2021, the country has initiated the process for the full implementation of Article 24 of the ECOWAS Convention on small arms and light weapons.”
