The Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), yesterday made a startling revelation about the level of illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons ( SALW) in Nigeria, saying more than 350 million out of the estimated 500 million of such weapons in West Africa is domiciled in the country. The minister who also expressed concern about what it termed as devastating increase in the level of drug abuse and Porous nature if Nigeria’s Borders said, the trend must be checked before the 2019 elections. He spoke at a Consultation meeting on Physical Security and Stockpile Management and drug abuse with major security chiefs in the Country. The minister lamented that illicit weapons can be found in almost all corners of the country, which explains the rise in incidences of crime and violence in the country at the moment, with the attendant threat to lives and property of the citizenry. He said, “Following the meeting we had with Governors two weeks back over the violent conflicts that took place in Benue and other places, between herders and farmers, one of the issues that came up in the communiqué, was the issue of the proliferation of small arms, and also the issue of drug trafficking and abuse. “And we also found that these two issues are triggers to the violence taking place in this country. Without the firearms, without the drugs being processed, the courage of those who partake in violence, we would not have the kind of violence with magnitude we have today. So there is need to take very urgent action in order to ensure that this situation is dealt with accordingly”. Dambazau continued: “And, as a follow-up, I invited this meeting of experts so that we will be able to deal with the situation, examine and analyse it and see how best we can approach it. From records by the United Nations Centre for Peace and Disarmament, I understand that there are approximately 500 million assorted firearms in West Africa”.