By Chioma Iruke
The Nigerian Navy has dispelled comments on ‘wall building’ accredited to it during the hearing of four bills at the House of Representative’s Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
Recall, that the House Committee held a public hearing on four Bills, including the Bill for an Act to Establish the National Commission against Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (HB 10).
Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Zubairu Gambo who was represented by Commander Jemila Abubakar Sadik was quoted to have said, “Until we build wall across borders with neighboring countries, we will know no peace, I headed a team who fought insecurity in those region and I can make bold to say if we don’t build these walls Nigeria will know no peace.”
Meanwhile, Spokesman of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Dahun Suleiman said “during the hearing on this Bill, the representative of the Nigerian Navy (NN) duly presented the position of the Service on the proposed Act but went ahead to make some unauthorized, personal comments on the issue of trans-national trafficking of small arms and light weapons.”
Dahun noted that this is as it relates to neighbours with which Nigeria maintains robust diplomatic security relationships/collaborations; a personal opinion that is at variance with the position of the NN.
Dahun said “the NN wishes to categorically dissociate itself from the view of the senior officer.”
According to him, the Navy appreciates the indelible contributions of our regional partners/neighbours in the fight against small arms and light weapons trafficking.
Pertinently, he added that effective and sustained regional cooperation towards ensuring maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea is a key priority of the Navy.
Against this background he said that “the Service acknowledges the regional security efforts of our neighbouring countries within the existing frameworks of bilateral and multilateral cooperation’s and commits to working assiduously to strengthening these arrangements.”
