Audit report misleading, no such number of missing firearms under Egbetokun – Police

The police headquarters revealed on Thursday that the claims are false and misleading and that there aren't any 3,907 guns missing from the NPF's arsenal.

However, the Force headquarters acknowledged the difficulties police experience during times of civil unrest, when some police officers are murdered and their weapons are taken away after attacks and looting of police armouries and facilities, which results in the loss of weapons.

"Every effort has been made to account for the arms that were taken, while many have been recovered back to the arms holding of the force at the moment," stated ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, in a statement.

According to the statement, "Alleged Missing Arms: Police Clarifies Allegations of 3907 Unaccounted Arms," some of the weapons were given to staff members for operational use during auditors' visits to armouries; the length of these assignments varied from months to months, depending on the type of operation.

According to the statement, "The Nigeria Police Force is shocked and deeply concerned about the recent reports that 3,907 weapons are missing from the Nigeria Police Force."

"These accusations are false and deceptive.

The Force would like to make it clear that this report seems to be based on an evaluation of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, AuGF, report from 2019, which most likely reflects documents assembled before the current Inspector-General of Police took office.

"In the report, as stated by Issue 3b, Sub (iii), it is stated that 3907 arms were unaccounted for and not “missing” as speculated by the news.

“It is important to acknowledge the challenges faced by the police during periods of civil unrest, during which several police officers were killed and their arms carted away, and some attacks and looting of police facilities and armouries, resulting in the loss of arms.

“However, every effort has been made to account for the arms that were taken, while many have been recovered back to the arms holding of the force at the moment.

“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.

“Furthermore, 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.

“Throughout our audits, there has been no outrageous record of unaccounted or missing arms, as speculated in the 2019 report of the AuGF, despite some incidences that have been documented and managed.

“The Force has earlier defended the audit queries, which had hoped to help in reconciling 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.
"The IGP was not there when the senators were questioning the alleged "lost" firearms, despite the fictitious and deceptive reporting by various media outlets.

On Tuesday, November 02, 25th, the IGP made a brief appearance before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.

He was requested to take the customary oath and provide an explanation for his failure to accept earlier invitations from the committee.
After responding to the committee members' satisfaction, the IGP was allowed to take a leave of absence, but the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Police Accounts and Budget, remained to respond to the committee's questions.

These enquiries concerned the time frame preceding the current IGP's implementation.

"Just to be clear, there aren't any ridiculously high numbers of firearms missing from the armouries of the NPF within the stated period.

“Managing mischief and the spread of misinformation against the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been a significant challenge in recent times.

“The NPF has, in recent times, made notable strides in stabilising the internal security space, but malicious actors seek to undermine these efforts by striving to erode public confidence in the police through the spread of malicious content.

“It is important to note that the proliferation of misinformation, especially against institutions like the Nigeria Police, has far-reaching consequences, including compromising public safety, damaging reputations, and hindering the NPF’s ability to effectively maintain law and order.

“However, the NPF remains committed to maintaining transparency and public trust and will continue to uphold the security of the nation while honouring the duty to account for all operational materials entrusted to us.”