Police Refute Claims of Missing Firearms, Call Reports Misleading

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed reports claiming that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, describing these claims as misleading and inaccurate.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, clarified that the figures circulating in the media stem from a 2019 audit report conducted by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and do not reflect the current state of the police armouries.

“The report appears to stem from an assessment of the 2019 audit, which likely reflects records compiled before the tenure of the current Inspector-General of Police,” Adejobi explained.

The clarification came in response to a Senate Public Accounts Committee hearing held on February 11, where the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, was questioned about discrepancies in police armoury records. The committee had expressed concern about the alleged 178,459 missing firearms, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles, based on findings from the 2019 audit.

However, the police clarified that the figures do not accurately reflect the present situation. Adejobi noted that firearms assigned to officers for operations may not always be present during audits. “When auditors conduct visits to our armouries, they may not find all arms present at the time due to the issuance of weapons to personnel for operational purposes, some spanning months, depending on the nature of such operations,” he said. This, he pointed out, could lead to misconceptions about the accuracy of audit reports.

Additionally, Adejobi acknowledged that some weapons were lost during attacks on police formations, particularly during periods of civil unrest. However, he reassured the public that efforts to recover those firearms are ongoing and many have already been accounted for.

The FPRO also addressed claims that IGP Egbetokun was present at the Senate hearing to respond to the alleged missing firearms, clarifying that his appearance was solely to explain his absence from previous invitations. “The IGP was asked to take the usual oath and explain why he did not honour previous invitations by the committee,” Adejobi stated. “He responded to the satisfaction of the committee members and was thereafter excused, while the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Police Accounts and Budget, stayed back to answer the queries.”

The Senate Committee decided to postpone further hearings on the matter to Monday, February 17, 2025, to allow the police more time to reconcile the discrepancies in the records.

The police also expressed concern over the spread of misinformation, warning that such reports could undermine public confidence in law enforcement. “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,” Adejobi cautioned.

He emphasized that the audit queries predated IGP Egbetokun’s tenure and reiterated that no firearms have gone missing under the current leadership. “These queries relate to the period that predated the administration of the current IGP. For emphasis’s sake, no such outrageous number of firearms is missing in the armouries of the NPF within the stated period,” Adejobi concluded.

President Bola Tinubu appointed IGP Kayode Egbetokun on June 19, 2023, replacing his predecessor, Usman Alkali Baba, who has since retired.