Approximately 1.1 million small arms and light weapons that are in circulation in the nation cannot be accurately tracked down or accounted for, according to the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
Out of the 2.3 million firearms that are presently in circulation, the panel claims that this amount of unaccounted-for weaponry constitutes a serious threat to national security.
The head of the commission’s National Arms Marking Program, Frank Boateng Asumani, stressed continuous efforts to reduce the spread of these weapons while speaking on the fringes of a regional conference aimed at addressing the humanitarian effect of improvised anti-personal mines.
“Currently, we have 2.3 million small and light weapons in circulation, out of which 1.2 million are legally registered and the remaining 1.1 million cannot be accounted for and so the commission is currently looking for funding to know the level of proliferation we have in the system. We are talking about AK47s, pistols, pump-action guns, and locally manufactured guns.”
To prevent the humanitarian effects caused by anti-personnel mines, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has asked nations, particularly Libya, Egypt, and Morocco, to work toward the ratification of the treaty.
