UN: Weapons Looted During Libyan War Found With Terrorist Groups In Nigeria

The United Nations says some weapons looted during the Libyan conflict in 2011 have ended up in the hands of extremist groups in Nigeria.

Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN under-secretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs, stated this at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, as delegates gathered to address the global spread of illicit firearms.

The UN’s top disarmament official expressed regret that weapons continue to fuel violence in communities long after wars end, causing devastation across once peaceful communities.

She cited “Libya, where weapons looted or diverted during and after the 2011 conflict, which ended the rule of Muammar Gaddafi, later surfaced across the wider Sahel region, including in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria”.

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“Some were subsequently found in the hands of extremist groups, illustrating how arms from one conflict can destabilise neighbouring countries years later. The end of the conflict does not mean the end of the circulation of those weapons; it stays, and it continues to harm people,” Ms Nakamitsu said.

In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the UN said the proliferation of small arms can undermine peacebuilding efforts long after fighting subsides. Weapons retained by armed groups, militias or communities for self-protection can contribute to renewed violence and instability, she stressed.

According to her, illicit weapons are also linked to human rights abuses, terrorism and sexual and gender-based violence.

“It is not just a security issue. It is also about peacebuilding. It is about human rights. It is also about development,” Ms Nakamitsu said.

She said years after conflicts fade from the headlines, the weapons used to fight them often continue to circulate, crossing borders, fuelling crime and undermining an often-fragile peace.

“Wars end, but unfortunately, the weapons that are used in that particular conflict would not be under full control,” Ms Nakamitsu said. “They continue to circulate. They are sometimes hidden. They are brought across borders.”

She expressed concerns that the emergence of ghost guns, 3D-printed firearms and increasingly sophisticated trafficking networks are creating new challenges for governments worldwide.

“Those weapons or weapon parts, if they are disassembled and then trafficked, are more difficult to trace,” Ms Nakamitsu said.

UN member states adopted an action programme in 2001, committing to strengthen national legislation, improve stockpile security, combat illicit trafficking, and expand international cooperation.

A major milestone followed in 2005 with the adoption of the International Tracing Instrument, which established global standards for marking, recording, and tracing illegal weaponry.

The framework helps investigators identify where illicit weapons originated and how they entered illegal markets, while reducing the risk of diversion from legal stockpiles.

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The UN supports implementation through technical assistance, policy guidance, and capacity-building programmes aimed at helping governments secure weapons stockpiles, improve tracing systems and strengthen border controls.
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Police Uncover Illegal Gun Factory, Arrest Seven In Yobe‎ State

The Yobe State Police Command has uncovered an illegal firearms fabrication workshop in Potiskum Local Government Area and arrested seven suspected gunmakers.

The command said the suspects were arrested during a raid on a blacksmith workshop at Tasha Adua along Danchuwa Road in Potiskum on Monday.

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This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim.

‎‎“The Yobe State Police Command has recorded another significant breakthrough in its sustained efforts to combat crime and criminality across the state,” the statement read.

According to the statement, operatives of the Potiskum Area Command, in collaboration with officers from the Divisional Police Headquarters, carried out the operation following intelligence on the alleged illegal fabrication of firearms in the area.

Abdulkarim said the suspects were arrested while several exhibits were recovered from the workshop.

‎“The operation was carried out following credible intelligence on the activities of some blacksmiths engaged in the illegal fabrication of firearms,” Abdulkarim said.

He added that the suspects were in custody and undergoing investigation to identify possible collaborators, buyers and the intended use of the weapons.

Police Rescue 2 Kidnap Victims

Abdulkarim said the Commissioner of Police, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, had ordered an expanded investigation to identify other illegal firearms fabrication centres and assess the security threat posed by such activities.

He also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to security agencies.
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Lagos Court Jails Abdulrahman Raji 15 Years Over N26m Fraud

Justice Ismail Ijelu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, convicted and sentenced one Abdulrahman Lawal Raji to 15 years imprisonment for N26m fraud.

Raji was arraigned on November 9, 2023 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on an amended two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence.

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One of the counts reads: “ABDULRAHMAN LAWAL RAJI and ABDULRAHMAN LAWAL (at large), between 20th March, 2023 and 21 March, 2023 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained a gross sum of N26,000,000 from Olaide Ibidapo by falsely representing it was the purchase price for a Toyota Hilux 2022 car, which representation you knew to be false”.

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against him.

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Ebuka Okongwu,called four witnesses and tendered several documents that were admitted in evidence by the court.

The defence, however, called two witnesses.

Delivering judgment, Justice Ijelu held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubts the charges against the defendant and convicted him accordingly.

Court

He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on count one and five years’ imprisonment on count two, with no option of a fine on either count.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The judge also ordered the restitution of the sum of N26,000,000 to the petitioner

Raji bagged his imprisonment when he collected the sum of N26million from a petitioner for the purchase of a Toyota 2022 Hilux car. He neither delivered the car nor returned the money to the petitioner.
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