The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has clarified that 3,907 firearms were unaccounted for from its arsenal before Kayode Egbetokun assumed office as Inspector General of Police (IGP).
In a statement, Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, explained that some of these weapons were forcibly taken by hoodlums during episodes of civil unrest.
“This report appears to stem from an evaluation conducted by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) dating back to 2019. It most likely reflects records compiled before the current Inspector-General took office,” Adejobi stated.
He emphasized that the 3,907 arms were not outrightly missing as some reports suggested, but rather unaccounted for due to factors such as operational deployment and civil disturbances.
“It is essential to acknowledge the difficulties the police encountered during periods of societal turmoil, where multiple officers lost their lives, and their weapons were forcibly taken. Several police stations and armouries were also attacked and plundered, leading to weapon losses,” he explained.
However, he assured that significant strides have been made in retrieving the missing arms, with many recovered and reallocated to the force’s armory.
Adejobi also clarified that discrepancies in audit reports often arise due to the deployment of weapons for law enforcement duties. “During audit visits to our armouries, all weapons may not be physically present at the time of assessment. This is because firearms are issued to personnel for field operations, some of which last for extended periods,” he noted.
He urged the public to approach such reports with contextual understanding, emphasizing that the police remain committed to accountability and security management.
