Nigeria reiterated Monday its commitments to the Biological Weapon Convention (BWC).

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Yayale Ahmed made the announcement at a regional workshop in Abuja on implementation of BWC for West and Central Africa.

Biological agents posed a high risk that should not be toyed with, he added.

The BWC is an international treaty aimed at handling biological agents in ways that do not pose threats to the populace.

Misuse of biological agents could take a much greater toll on any population by way of increased illnesses, long term disability and/or death, Ahmed said.

“An important strategy for successful defense against any threat in public health is early detection, identification and monitoring of disease and toxins in a community as well as treatment,” he added.

He told the audience that the Nigerian National Authority and Chemical, Biological and Toxic weapons convention was created to be the focal point for both chemical and biological weapons conventions.

He said the agency was charged with the responsibility of liaising with both local and international stakeholder organizations for domestication and implementation.

“Nigeria, with the support from the European Union, has produced draft bills for the national implementation of biological weapons convention and chemical weapon convention as well,” Ahmed said.