The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed reports alleging that over 3,000 firearms are missing from its inventory, clarifying that the claim is based on a misinterpretation of a 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF).
According to the police, the report did not state that the weapons were “missing” but rather described them as “unaccounted for,” a distinction the Force believes was misrepresented by some media outlets.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, expressed the police’s concern over the reports and provided further clarification.
He said: “These allegations are misleading and inaccurate. 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 3,907 arms were unaccounted for and not ‘missing’ as speculated by the news.
“It is important to acknowledge the challenges faced by the police during periods of civil unrest, during which several police officers were killed and their arms carted away, as well as attacks and looting of police facilities and armories, resulting 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 into the arms holdings 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 months depending on the nature of such operations.
“Consequently, 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 incidents that have been documented and managed.
“The Force has earlier defended the audit queries, which were hoped to help reconcile the discrepancies in the reports.
However, the hearing session presided over by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts has been postponed to Monday, February 17, 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, February 11, 2025. 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 committee 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.
“These 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 armories of the NPF within the stated period.
“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 content.
“It is important to note that the proliferation of misinformation, especially against institutions like the Nigeria Police, has 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 also recalled that during the #EndSARS protests, several police stations were attacked and looted, leading to the loss of arms and other essential materials.
