New Arms Bill Set to be Passed by May—Dr. Adam Bonaa Assures

The Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has confirmed that the long-awaited Arms Bill is expected to be passed into law by May 2025.

Speaking on JoyNews on Sunday, April 6, Dr. Bonaa asserted that there is a new bill because the arms regulation framework is outdated and needs urgent reform.

“Fortunately, the president and minister for the interior have promised that the bill would be passed into law hopefully by May,” he stated.

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Dr. Bonaa indicated that the law no longer reflects the country’s present security needs, adding that the commission, currently working with under 100 staff and also with limited resources, has faced several challenges executing its mandate under the existing 50-year-old law.

“We have a law, an arms law that is probably older than everybody in this building,” he noted.

He further explained that the commission lacks the ability to engage in crucial enforcement roles like arrest and prosecution, which hampers efforts to reduce the spread of illicit firearms, especially in border areas and illegal mining (galamsey) zones.

“Our mandate now is sensitization and doing all the soft things,” he stated

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Dr. Bonaa expressed optimism that the current administration, backed by Interior Honorable Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak and the President, is committed to seeing the bill passed into law.

“I have to go beyond the talking and get the work done,” he assured