The Nigeria Police Force has described as misleading and inaccurate recent news reports alleging that 3,907 arms are missing from its armoury.
The Force PRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, made the clarification in a statement on Thursday.
The Fact Daily gathers that according to the news report, about 3,907 assault rifles and pistols are allegedly missing in the Force’s armoury, prompting the Senate to question Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun. The report said the lawmakers were dissatisfied with the police’s explanation and insisted that they must account for the missing arms and ammunition.
According to Adejobi, the allegation stems from an assessment of the report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, AuGF dating back to 2019, likely reflecting records compiled prior to the current Inspector-General of Police’s tenure.
“In the report, according to Issue 3b, Sub (iii), it is stated that 3907 arms were unaccounted for and not “missing” as speculated by the news”, he stated.
Adejobi further explained that challenges faced by the police during periods of civil unrest, during which several police officers are killed and their arms carted away, as well as attacks and looting of police facilities and armories, usually redult in the loss of arms.
“However, every effort has been made to account for the arms that were taken, while many have been recovered back to the arms holding of the force at the moment”.
The Force spokesman noted also, auditors may not find all arms present at the time of thier visits to the armories due to the issuance of weapons to personnel for operational purposes, which may span for months depending on the nature of such operations. Consequently, he said, this may lead to misconceptions regarding the accuracy of audit reports.
“Furthermore, the Nigeria Police Force has a statutory and annual internal auditing process in accordance with the provisions outlined in the Police Regulations, administrative instructions and standard operating procedures (SOP) which include stringent measures to ensure controlled movement and proper accountability of arms. Throughout our audits, there has been no outrageous record of unaccounted or missing arms, as speculated in the 2019 report of the AuGF, despite some incidences that have been documented and managed”, Adejobi said.
Regarding the Senate hearing on Tuesday, in which it was reported that the lawmakers were dissatisfied with the IGP’s explanations, Adejobi said that the Police Chief was not present when the senators were raising questions on the purported “missing” firearms, but only appeared briefly and was asked to take the usual oath and explain why he did not honour previous invitations by the committee.
The IGP responded to the satisfaction of the committee members after which he was excused to take his leave while the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Police Accounts and Budget, stayed back to answer the queries of the committee, the queries of which relate to the period that predated the administration of the current IGP.
“However, the hearing session presided over by the Senate Committee on Public Account has been postponed to Monday, 17th of February 2025, giving ample time for a proper cross analysis of records”, he said.
Adejobi noted sadly that while the Force has in recent times, made notable strides in stabilizing the internal security space, malicious actors seek to undermine these efforts by striving to erode public confidence in the police through the spread of malicious contents.
“It is important to note that the proliferation of misinformation, especially against institutions like the Nigeria Police have far-reaching consequences, including compromising public safety, damaging reputations, and hindering the NPF’s ability to effectively maintain law and order. However, the NPF remains committed to maintaining transparency and public trust and will continue to uphold the security of the nation while honouring the duty to account for all operational materials entrusted to us”, he concluded.
