Nigeria police summoned over thousands of missing firearms

The Nigerian Police Force is under pressure to account for thousands of firearms missing from the police inventory, including AK-47 rifles, local media reports.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, in a sitting on Wednesday, raised concerns over the disappearance of 3,907 rifles and pistols from various police formations in the country in 2020.

The committee also revisited the case of 178,459 reported missing firearms, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles from police inventory, first published by the Auditor General of the Federation in 2019.

Police authorities were also asked by senators to explain contract irregularities totalling ₦1.136 billion ($756,128) found also in the auditor general’s report of 2019.

'Disappearing firearms'

“As of December 2018, a total of 178,459 firearms were unaccounted for, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles. Additionally, as of January 2020, at least 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols remained missing,” the report stated.

Assistant Inspector General of Police (Budget), Abdul Suleiman, told lawmakers that the police have addressed the audit queries and pleaded for discretion, arguing that discussions about police firepower should remain private.

"The police will not allow these weapons to go missing at any cost, but this is a security matter best discussed privately," Suleiman stated, but the senators refused his request.

"Thousands of AK-47s are missing at a time when insecurity is at its peak. The police should have been able to trace these arms,” a senator argued on the floor.

The police clarified that some of the missing weapons belonged to officers killed in the line of duty and that their weapons were taken. They maintain that no arms are unaccounted for.

Unsatisfied with the explanations provided, the Committee on Public Accounts summoned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to appear before them again on Monday, January 17.

➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.