SERAP Demands Probe Of Police Over ‘Missing N6.79bn, Unaccounted Firearms’

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Bola Tinubu to order an immediate investigation into the allegations of financial mismanagement involving over N6.79 billion in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, as well as the disappearance of firearms and ammunition from police armouries.

SERAP also requested that the President instruct the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the inspector-general of police, Olatunji Disu, and other anti-corruption agencies to investigate those involved in the auditor-general’s findings and prosecute culpable individuals.

The organisation further demanded the recovery of diverted funds, missing firearms, ammunition, and police exhibits, emphasising that these irregularities threaten public safety and national security.

The call is contained in an open letter dated August 1, 2026, signed by SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, following the release of the auditor-general’s annual report on September 9, 2025.

SERAP claimed that the audit uncovered widespread financial irregularities, including payments for unexecuted projects, abandoned contracts, inflated costs, procurement irregularities, unreturned cash advances, unresolved insurance claims, and payments for services not rendered.

The organisation further described these findings as “a grave betrayal of public trust” and expressed serious concern over how public funds, police exhibits, and government firearms are managed.

Among the most troubling discoveries is the report that 42 firearms, including AK-47s and pistols, along with 737 rounds of ammunition stored at the FCT Police Command armoury between 2021 and 2022, were not returned, raising fears that the weapons could be lost or misappropriated.

The report also accused police authorities of converting recovered exhibits, such as vehicles and firearms, for operational use without proper authorisation, failing to account for several exhibits, releasing monetary and non-monetary items without documentation, and storing obsolete firearms insecurely.

SERAP argued that these lapses, combined with diversion of funds and abandoned projects, have undermined police effectiveness and worsened Nigeria’s insecurity.

Examples from the report include a N499.9 million payment for an uncompleted Police College in Plateau State, over N111 million for another abandoned project in Kaduna State, and approximately N1.94 billion spent on 14 abandoned projects, with new contracts awarded.

The report also questions the legality of contracts worth over N438 million awarded without proper due diligence, irregular payments for patrol vehicles and security allowances, and over N681 million paid to insurance brokers without evidence of claims settlements.

Additional findings include the police force’s failure to produce its 2022 financial statements, unretired cash advances exceeding limits, procurement irregularities, and failure to deduct taxes on contracts.

SERAP has given the government seven days to respond, warning of legal action if there are no substantive measures.

It asserted that ignoring these issues could erode public trust in law enforcement and violate constitutional mandates to fight corruption and protect citizens’ security and welfare.