The Senate strongly criticized the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) at the National Assembly complex over the disappearance of 3,907 assault rifles, as revealed in the 2020 report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF).
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun apologized to the Senate Committee on Public Accounts for previously failing to respond to invitations to address financial infractions highlighted in the 2019 audit report.
Following his apology and oath-taking, Egbetokun designated Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Suleiman Abdul, who oversees Public Accounts and Budget, to respond to 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 temporarily set aside the second concerning an unexecuted N925 million contract. However, it upheld the third query regarding the missing 3,907 assault rifles, including AK-47s.
The issue escalated when an Auditor-General’s representative read the findings aloud, revealing that as of January 2020, police records failed to account for 3,907 firearms. Further details indicated losses across various units, including 601 missing weapons from 15 training institutions, 42 from 23 police formations, 1,514 from 37 police commands, 29 from police zones 1 to 12, and 1,721 from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) units 1 to 68.
Committee members, angered by the report, pressed the police delegation for explanations, but AIG Abdul and his team struggled to provide satisfactory answers. Overwhelmed, Abdul requested a closed-door session, but key senators—including Nwaebonyi, Adams Oshiomhole, and Joel Onawakpo-Thomas—rejected the proposal, insisting on public transparency.
Senator Nwaebonyi emphasized that the committee’s proceedings should be open, pointing out that similar committees in the U.S. televise their hearings live. Senator Oshiomhole added that just as the police publicly parade petty criminals, they should be equally transparent about missing firearms, detailing efforts to recover them and identify those responsible.
In his response, AIG Abdul could only account for 15 of the missing rifles—14 reportedly lost in combat when personnel were killed and one unaccounted for since 1998. His explanation further frustrated the committee members.
Determined not to let the issue be overlooked, the committee ordered Abdul and his team to return with a more comprehensive report. The hearing was adjourned to Monday at noon, with further discussions on the remaining five queries postponed.