The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, faced tough questioning from the Senate on Tuesday over 3,907 missing rifles and pistols from the Nigeria Police Force’s armoury.
The Senate was not satisfied with the explanation given by the police and insisted that all missing firearms must be accounted for.
Egbetokun appeared before the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) to respond to an audit query from the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF).
The audit report for 2019 revealed alarming details about missing weapons across police formations in Nigeria.
According to Olu Samuel Godwin, a representative of the AuGF, the review of police records showed that by December 2018, a total of 178,459 firearms were unaccounted for.
This included 88,078 AK-47 rifles. The report also pointed out discrepancies in police records, especially at the 21 Police Mobile Force Squadron in Abuja.
While official records stated that no firearms were missing, another document from the same department showed that 46 weapons had disappeared between 2000 and 2019.
During the session, the police attempted to account for missing rifles as far back as 1998 but could only provide convincing explanations for 15 out of the 3,907 missing rifles listed in the audit report.
Faced with pressure from the Senate, the police requested a closed-door session to discuss the matter privately.
However, the Senate Committee rejected this request, insisting that the issue required transparency. The police then pleaded for more time to investigate and report back with accurate details.
The loss of thousands of firearms raises serious concerns about security and accountability within the Nigeria Police Force.
The Senate is determined to ensure that all missing weapons are properly traced and accounted for to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
This development highlights the need for better record-keeping and stricter measures to safeguard weapons assigned to law enforcement agencies. The outcome of the police investigation and further Senate discussions will be closely watched.
