Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has quizzed the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for their inability to give an account of the 3,907 missing assault rifles in their custody.
This is sequel to a query contained in a 2020 Audit Report by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF).
During the hearing, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, apologised for not honouring previous invitations regarding financial irregularities flagged in the 2019 Audit Report.
He then assigned Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Suleiman Abdul, head of Public Accounts and Budget, to address the panel’s concerns.
The meeting, which was superintendent over by Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (APC, Ebonyi North), addressed multiple audit queries, including one involving N1.136 billion contract splitting and an unexecuted N925 million contract, which it dismissed.
However, the panel upheld the query on the missing firearms, a significant portion of which were AK-47 rifles.
An AuGF representative revealed that as of January 2020, an audit confirmed that 3,907 assault rifles and pistols across various police units were unaccounted for.
The breakdown showed losses from police training institutions, formations, commands, and the Police Mobile Force (PMF).
Committee members demanded explanations, but AIG Abdul and his team failed to provide convincing responses. When Abdul requested a closed-door session to discuss the matter privately, the committee refused.
“This committee does not operate behind closed doors,” Senator Nwaebonyi stated. “In other countries, public accounts sessions are aired live. Any response must be given transparently before journalists and the public.”
Senator Adams Oshiomhole also criticised the police for failing to address the issue. “The police have no problem parading petty thieves, but what have they done about these missing rifles? Who is responsible, and what has been recovered?” Oshiomhole asked rhetorically.
Under pressure, AIG Abdul admitted that only 15 of the missing rifles had been accounted for—14 lost in the line of duty and one dating back to 1998—further frustrating the lawmakers.