There was intense drama on Tuesday at the Senate Committee on Public Accounts as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Suleiman Abdul faced questioning over the disappearance of 3,907 assault rifles, including a significant number of AK-47s.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Abdul listened attentively as a representative from the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation presented the 2019 audit report. The report revealed that as of January 2020, the Nigeria Police Force could not account for 3,907 assault rifles.
Earlier, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun had apologized to the committee for failing to honor previous invitations. Following his apology and oath-taking, he delegated AIG Suleiman Abdul, who oversees Public Accounts and Budget, to address the eight queries raised by the Auditor-General’s office.
The committee, chaired by Deputy Chairman Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (APC, Ebonyi North), dismissed the first query related to N1.136 billion in contract splitting and deferred the second, which involved an unexecuted N925 million contract. However, it upheld the third query concerning the missing firearms.
According to the audit report, as of December 2018, a total of 178,459 firearms had been reported missing, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles. A subsequent audit in January 2020 confirmed that 3,907 additional assault rifles and pistols across various police formations were unaccounted for.
The missing firearms were distributed as follows:
- 601 from 15 training institutions
- 42 from 23 police formations
- 1,514 from 37 police commands
- 29 from police zones 1 to 12
- 1,721 from Police Mobile Force (PMF) units 1 to 68
Frustrated by the lack of accountability, committee members pressed the police delegation for an explanation as to why the queries had not been addressed earlier. However, neither AIG Abdul nor his team could provide a satisfactory response.
Overwhelmed by the grilling, Abdul requested a closed-door session, but the committee, including Senators Nwaebonyi, Adams Oshiomhole, and Joel Onawakpo-Thomas, firmly rejected the proposal.
Senator Nwaebonyi emphasized that the Public Accounts Committee operates with full transparency, pointing out that similar committees in the United States broadcast their proceedings live. He insisted that any responses regarding the missing rifles should be made publicly, especially in the presence of journalists.
Backing this stance, Senator Oshiomhole criticized the police for publicly parading petty criminals while failing to show the same diligence in addressing the disappearance of assault rifles. He urged the AIG to disclose what actions had been taken to recover the missing firearms and identify those responsible.
In a weak response, AIG Abdul could only account for 15 of the missing rifles, explaining that 14 were lost when officers were killed in action, while one had been missing since 1998. His answer further angered the committee members.
To ensure a thorough response, the committee ordered Abdul and his team to return with a detailed report. They were instructed to reappear on Monday at 12 noon, while deliberations on the remaining five queries were temporarily suspended.