The Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, DIG Johnson Kokumo, has dismissed claims circulating in a viral video about links between arrested arms smugglers and the National Security Adviser.

At a press briefing, Kokumo said he was physically present at Tin Can Island Port when the Nigerian Customs Service handed over 399 assorted automatic weapons. He refuted suggestions that individuals arrested over the illegal arms were sponsored by Nuhu Ribadu, describing the allegations as untrue.

The DG also highlighted ongoing efforts to destroy seized illicit weapons, stressing that this is meant to prevent them from falling into the hands of non-state actors. During a recent destruction exercise, 1,419 weapons were publicly destroyed—bringing the total number destroyed since 2022 to over 19,000.

Kokumo noted that the initiative is in line with Nigeria’s commitment to international security agreements.