Monday, 2nd June 2003 at Multipurpose hall of the British Council, 10 Emir's Palace Road, Kano

The 2-8 June was set aside by International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) as a week to raise the awareness of dangers of small arms and light weapons (SALW). Events have been planned in over 60 Countries and partner NGOs in the campaign against illicit arms trafficking.

In Kano, Northern Nigeria, the African regional office of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) and the Youths for Peace organized a seminar, 'Impact Of Small Arms Injuries On Health - Kano as a case study'.

Dr. Ime A John, the IPPNW Vice President, for the African region, presented an overview of the impact of SALWs on health. The geography and demographics of Kano were reviewed. He showed 15 slides on power point of which many were photographs of displaced Refugees, burnt houses and samples of pistols, landmines and rifles. His paper defined SALWs and their applications and abuse. Their application in crimes, coups and civil conflicts were discussed. Short- and long-term impacts on health were identified. The major ones were injuries and death. Socio-economic and mental effects were brought up. Violence-induced displacements and transborder diseases were also described as being of great importance to the health of the community. Declining access to basic needs and health care were common features of societies in conflicts as the result of increased abuse of SALWs. Examples given included the Brigade and Dakata areas of Kano; the Ituri region of North Eastern Congo D.R; and Ikot Offiong in South Eastern Nigeria.

Dr. Aminu Z. Mohammed, a Pathologist and member of the Nigerian affiliate of IPPNW, presented an educational paper on gunshot injuries in Kano. A four year (1999-2002) retrospective study was carried out in the 5 biggest hospitals in Kano. It found that on average 66 persons are killed yearly in Kano from gunshots injuries.1 in every 8 gunshot injuries have a fatal consequences.13% of homicides in Kano are from gunshot wounds. Gunshot injuries are the second cause of death after road traffic accidents in Kano.

It was observed that the risk factors associated with gunshot injuries were:

1. Armed robbery attacks accounted for 41% of all gunshots cases. This may be attributed to the declining Nigerian economy for the past decade.

2. Civil conflicts as a result of ethno-religious differences and political affiliations in some cases. 34% of gunshot injuries came from this situation.

3. Legal intervention (police and other armed paramilitary groups) occasionally shoot to disarm a suspected criminal. This group accounted for 15% of gunshot wounds.

The under-reporting of incidences of gunshot injuries were discussed as a limitation to accurate data collection. Many victims were buried as soon as they were confirmed dead according to Islamic customs since the majority of citizens in Kano are Moslems. Also, gunshot injuries could be concealed since most people fear police interrogations and probable detention.

Several questions were asked ranging from the methodology of extracting information from the police and the rational for a 4-year study rather than a longer period. Also, we were asked how the government could be approached with these facts with a view of getting their support in the campaign against small arms and light weapons proliferation.

Attendance:
We had 27 participants drawn from several hospitals, students from 3 universities in Nigeria, members of the press and civil society. However, our special guest of honour, Ibrahim Shekarau, the newly elected Governor of Kano State failed to attend since he had an urgent call to the capital Abuja, that afternoon. No one could represent him since he has yet to form a cabinet. The moderator was Dr. Nurudeen Isa, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and former Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association, Kano State.

Donation:
Educational materials (CDs, books and publications) on Small arms, injury prevention and IANSA were donated to the British Council, Kano by IPPNW African Region.

Press Release:
The Press statement from IANSA was released to the Press and we expect publications before the weekend. Also, information materials on IANSA and IPPNW were distributed to participants. Light refreshment was served to the participants at the lawn of the British Council information center.

Acknowledgement:
We are grateful to the British Council, Kano for offering us their renovated state-of-the-art multipurpose Hall free of charge.