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WAANSA calls for a national six-month gun amnesty starting December 10 to reduce illegal arms and curb insecurity.
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Group demands reopening of all closed schools, warning that shutdowns signal weakness and endanger Nigeria’s future.
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Seeks urgent border fencing and arms registration, citing abuse of ECOWAS free-movement protocol by criminal gangs.
The West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately launch a nationwide gun amnesty as part of emergency steps to address escalating insecurity, kidnapping and banditry across the country.
The appeal was issued in a statement by WAANSA Regional Vice President, Igwe Martin Nnamdi, after the organisation participated in the ECOWAS Annual Coordinating Meeting of National Commissions on Small Arms held in Ghana.
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The group warned that Nigeria’s deteriorating security environment now demands bold and rapid government intervention.
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WAANSA proposed a six-month amnesty programme to begin on December 10, 2025, coinciding with International Human Rights Day. Under the initiative, individuals who voluntarily surrender firearms at locations approved by the National Security Adviser would be exempted from prosecution.
The organisation also recommended a nationwide arms registration exercise immediately after the amnesty window closes to ensure proper tracking and identification of weapons in private hands, which it said would significantly reduce the circulation of illegal small arms and light weapons.
WAANSA further appealed to President Tinubu to order the reopening of all schools currently shut due to insecurity, describing prolonged closures as “a show of weakness” that suggests criminal groups are gaining the upper hand.
The group warned that keeping schools closed jeopardizes the future of young Nigerians, whose education and development must not be derailed.
Additionally, WAANSA called for accelerated efforts to secure Nigeria’s borders, insisting that criminal networks exploit the ECOWAS free-movement protocol to enter the country and perpetuate violence.
The group said porous borders have worsened organised crime and fuelled the inflow of illicit arms.
