The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed the alleged disappearance of 3,907 rifles and pistols from its armoury, describing the claim as misleading and inaccurate.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, clarified that the report appears to originate from an assessment by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) dating back to 2019.
According to the police, the audit report merely indicated that the firearms were “unaccounted for” at the time, rather than being classified as missing.
Adejobi acknowledged that during periods of civil unrest, the police suffered attacks in which officers were killed, and arms were stolen. However, he assured that efforts had been made to recover the missing weapons, with many already returned to the police armouries.
He further explained that auditors conducting inspections may not always find all firearms physically present in armouries, as many are issued to personnel for ongoing operations, sometimes for extended periods. This, he said, could lead to misunderstandings regarding the accuracy of audit reports.
The statement read, “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.”
According to Adejobi, 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 incidences that have been documented and managed.
READ MORE:Senate Grills IGP Egbetokun Over 3,907 Missing Rifles from Police Armoury
“The Force has earlier defended the audit queries, which had hoped to help in reconciling the discrepancies in the reports. However, the hearing session presided over by the Senate Committee on Public Account has been postponed to Monday, 17th of February 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,” he said.
Adejobi said 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,” he said.
Adejobi explained that 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’s sake, no such outrageous number of firearms is missing in the armouries 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,” he said.
He noted that 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 contents.
“It is important to note that the proliferation of misinformation, especially against institutions like the Nigeria Police have 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,” Adejobi added.
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel:https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
