The Nigeria Police Force has said it is surprised about the recent news alleging that 3,907 arms are missing from the Nigeria Police Force, insisting that these allegations are misleading and inaccurate.
The police said the 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 before the current inspector-general of police’s tenure.
Force PRO ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in the report that, according to Issue 3b, Sub (iii), 3907 arms were unaccounted for and not “missing,” as the news speculated.
The police further stated that during periods of civil unrest, several police officers were killed. Their arms were carted away, and there was looting of police facilities and armouries, resulting in the loss of arms.
The Force PRO further said efforts have been made to account for the arms that were taken, and many have been recovered.
He further stated, “We also note that 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, many spanning months depending on the nature of such operations. Consequently, this may lead to misconceptions regarding the accuracy of audit reports.
“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.
“The force has earlier defended the audit queries, which had hoped to help reconcile 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.
