The Nigeria Police Force has issued a clarification on the allegations raised by the Senate on the purported disappearance of 3,907 firearms from its armoury......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
On Tuesday, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun appeared before the
Senate Committee on Public Accounts to respond to audit queries flagged in the 2019 Auditor-General Report.
The report said the auditors could not account for 3,907 arms, thereby prompting the Senate to demand explanations.
Egbetokun, represented by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Sulaiman Abdul, was also demanded to disclose ongoing efforts to track and recover them.
However, the police in a press release on Thursday, signed by its spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the audit report specifically used the term “unaccounted” and not “missing” as speculated by media organisations.
“The Force wishes to clarify that this report appears to stem 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,” the police said, describing the reports as “misleading and inaccurate.”
In the statement, the police acknowledged the detriment of civil unrest on the lives of its officers where their arms are often carted away and their facilities and armouries looted, which could result 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.
“We also note that when auditors conduct visits to our armories, they may not find all arms present at the time due to the issuance of weapons to personnel for operational purposes, many spanning to months depending on the nature of such operations.
“Consequently, this may lead to misconceptions regarding the accuracy of audit reports,” the police noted.
The police further said that they have a statutory and annual internal auditing process in accordance with the provisions outlined in the Police Regulations, administrative instructions and standard operating procedures (SOP) that ensure strict measures to the controlled movement and proper accountability of arms.
It said that throughout its audit sessions, there has been no outrageous record of unaccounted or missing arms, as speculated in the 2019 report of the AuGF, despite some incidents that have been documented and managed.
The police recall defending the audit queries, which it said hoped to help in reconciling the discrepancies in the reports.
“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.
“Contrary to the make-believe and misleading reportage by some media houses, the IGP was not present when the senators were raising questions on the purported “missing” firearms.
“The IGP appeared briefly before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday 11/02/25.
“He 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 commitee members and was thereafter 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 police clarified.
It added that the queries related to the period that predated the administration of the current IGP. “For emphasis sake, no such outrageous number of firearms is missing in the armouries of the NPF within the stated period,” it emphasised.
“Managing mischief and the spread of misinformation against the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been a significant challenge in recent times.
“The NPF has, in recent times, made notable strides in stabilizing the internal security space, but 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,” the police said.