INSECURITY: UK, U.S. To Prevent Sale Of Weapons To Terrorists In Nigeria, Others

The President of the United States, Joe Biden and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, have signed a ‘New Atlantic Charter’ which among other things will stop arms proliferation globally.

The charter was published on the White House website and both leaders agreed that every country where terrorism reigns (like Nigeria, Afghanistan and others) are clear proof that there are illegal arms sale there.

The leaders said they will design a global framework to stop terrorists from being weaponised while preserving their ancient diplomatic relations.

“We affirm our shared responsibility for maintaining our collective security and international stability and resilience against the full spectrum of modern threats, including cyber threats. We have declared our nuclear deterrents to the defence of NATO and as long as there are nuclear weapons, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. Our NATO Allies and partners will always be able to count on us, even as they continue to strengthen their own national forces. We pledge to promote the framework of responsible State behaviour in cyberspace, arms control, disarmament, and proliferation prevention measures to reduce the risks of international conflict. We remain committed to countering terrorists who threaten our citizens and interests,” the charter published on Thursday partly read.

Based on a Switzerland Small Arms Survey, “areas afflicted by armed conflict, violence, and organized crime” are “where the demand for illicit weapons is often highest” thereby fueling civil wars, regional conflicts and violent crime.

In Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has noted that certain people illegally possess AK-47 weapons, adding that there are “persons fomenting or carrying out attacks on our Police Force and other security personnel.’’

While attending an official function on Thursday in Lagos state, he commanded security agencies to, “shoot any person or persons found illegally wielding AK-47s and other assault weapons.”

Recall that Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs had disclosed that the UK and the U.S.were important partners to the country.