Group Decries Proliferation Of Small Arms

Doctors in Nigeria have cried out that they bear the health burden of victims of series of violence involving the use of small arms in the country.

The Secretary-General of the Society of Nigerian Doctors for the Welfare of Mankind (SNDWM), Dr Mons Remalant, disclosed thus at the celebration of this year’s Global Week of Action Against Violence.

According to him, “as doctors, we are the ones who bear the health burden, we take care of the victims, we see them go through a lot of psychological trauma.”

He explained that victims of small arms violence all over the world were at the receiving end of government’s inability to control the growing proliferation of small arms in the Society, adding that the United Nations (UN) treaty on small arms was aimed at preventing trade in illegal arms and ensue that action was taken by government to check the trend.

“We are trying to put a lot of pressure on the government to ratify the arms treaty passed by the UN. I’m sure that very soon it would come to pass. We are also trying as much as possible to educate people on the effects of violence and the prolonged consequences of instability, poverty and economic deprivation that result from conflict situations,” he stated.

He used the opportunity to condemn the recent attack on the force headquarters in Abuja, describing the attack as embarrassing, pointing out that it has exposed the incapability of the security agencies to handle threat to life and property.

“The recent incident that happened in the police headquarters in Abuja, is embarrassing, it shows gross inadequacy of our security system,” he explained.