The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed reports suggesting that 3,907 firearms have gone missing from its armouries, stating that the claims are inaccurate and do not reflect the true state of police records.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, clarified that the figures originated from a 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and do not necessarily indicate an actual disappearance of weapons.
“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.
He further pointed out that the term “unaccounted for” used in the report has been misinterpreted as “missing” in media reports.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee recently scrutinized police armoury records, raising concerns that 178,459 firearms, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles, were allegedly missing from police formations across Nigeria. The committee cited the 2019 audit findings while questioning Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun on February 11, 2025.
However, the police countered these claims, stating that audit reports may not always reflect the real-time status of weapons. They explained that firearms are frequently issued to officers for operations, which can sometimes span months, making it challenging to physically verify all weapons during an audit.
“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,” Adejobi said. “This may lead to misconceptions regarding the accuracy of audit reports.”
The police also acknowledged that some weapons had been lost due to attacks on police stations, particularly during civil unrest. However, Adejobi emphasized that efforts had been made to retrieve them.
“It is important to acknowledge the challenges faced by the police during periods of civil unrest, where several officers were killed and their arms carted away,” he noted. “However, every effort has been made to recover these arms, and many have already been accounted for.”
Adejobi also addressed reports suggesting that IGP Egbetokun was present throughout the Senate hearing on the missing firearms. He clarified that the IGP had only appeared briefly to explain his absence from previous invitations before handing over to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Accounts and Budget, Abdul Sulaiman, who responded to the audit queries.
“The IGP was asked to take the usual oath and explain why he did not honour previous invitations by the committee,” Adejobi explained. “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 has now rescheduled further discussions on the matter for Monday, February 17, 2025, allowing the police more time to reconcile discrepancies in their records.
The police expressed concern over the spread of misinformation, warning that false 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 reiterated that the audit findings in question were from a period predating IGP Egbetokun’s tenure, noting that President Bola Tinubu had only appointed him as Inspector-General on June 19, 2023.
“For emphasis, no such outrageous number of firearms is missing in the armouries of the NPF within the stated period,” the police statement concluded.
