Penultimate Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Public Accounts raised concerns over alleged disappearance of 3,907 rifles and pistols from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) armoury as contained in the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) report of 2019.

Pages 383 to 391 of the OAuGF?s annual report on non-compliance, internal control weaknesses issues in Nigeria?s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for the year ended December 31, 2019, was submitted to the National Assembly referenced AuGF/AR.2019/02 and dated September 15, 2021. Signed by the then Auditor General for the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu and addressed to the Clerk to the National Assembly, the report accused the police of lacking comprehensive details of unserviceable weapons, lamenting that such could fall into unauthorised hands for illegal use.

It alleged this contravened paragraph 2603 of the Financial Regulations which stipulates that in the event of any loss of stores, the officer in charge where the loss occurred shall report immediately to the head of department or unit not later than three days, by the fastest means possible, if the loss occurs away from headquarters.

Specifically, the AuGF report stated: ?Audit observed from the review of Arms Movement Register, Monthly Returns of Arms and Ammunition and Ammunition Register at the Armoury section that a total number of lost firearms as reported as at December 2018 stood at 178,459 pieces.]

?Out of this number, 88,078 were AK-47 rifles, 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols across different police formations, which could not be accounted for as at January 2020. Formal report on the loss of firearms through duly completed Treasury Form 146 (loss of stores) was not presented for examination.

?Records obtained from Force Armament at the Force Headquarters showed 21 Police Mobile Force (PMF) Squadron, Abuja, did not report a single case of missing firearm, whereas, schedule of missing arms obtained from the same PMF showed a total number of 46 missing arms between year 2000 and February 2019.?

The report noted that the 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols unaccounted for show that 601 firearms were missing across the 15 Police Training Institutions, 42 in the 23 formations, 1,514 across the 37 Commands, 29 in the zonal formations and 1,721 across the MPF 1-68.

But the police didn?t find the public release of the report funny. In fact, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, wrote the Senate, strongly objecting to police scrutiny in a public setting, seeking that ?future hearings on sensitive security issues? be held ?in camera so that the wrong impression is not created in the minds of Nigerians and the international community.?

Force Public Relations Officer ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, dismissed reports on missing weapons, tagging them misleading and inaccurate, stating that the OAuGF 2019 report Issue 3b, Sub (iii) noted that the 3,907 arms were ?unaccounted for,? not ?missing.? This, he said, is because of challenges encountered by personnel during civil unrest, including the killing of police officers, attacks on armouries, and the looting of arms when weapons cannot be accounted for. He added that ?every effort has been made to account for the arms taken, and many have already been recovered and returned to the Force?s armouries.?

But acknowledging the loss of the weapons, Abdul Sulaiman, Assistant Inspector General of Police, who represented the IGP at the Senate hearing, claimed some of the weapons were lost during robbery incidents while others were seized by criminals who attacked police officers and stations.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) expressed worry that any of the unaccounted weapons ?could have been used by criminals to compound the security situation we are facing as a people? You should track these missing arms. The officers who stole them must be disclosed. When you arrest people who stole rats and rabbits, you parade them. So, if a police officer is responsible for missing this number of arms, you have an obligation not only to disclose but to apprehend and arraign the person.?

Senator Victor Umeh (LP Anambra) said: ?The police should track the loss of these arms and know what happened because it is no longer news that in some cases, some people who acted on the armoury have been reported selling arms to criminals.?

We at the Daily Trust affirm that these missing weapons pose significant challenge to law and order and a high risk to personal security of Nigerians. We, therefore, call for urgent investigations to unearth the destination of all missing or unaccounted firearms and ammunition. There must be full accountability for all weapons procured for the police and other security agencies. None must be allowed to fall into unauthorised hands or put to illegal use.

Towards this, we call for transparent audit process for all weapons in accordance with Police Regulations, administrative instructions and standard operating procedures (SOP). In fact, all stringent measures must be implemented to ensure controlled movement and proper accountability of arms. All damaged and obsolete firearms must be accounted for.

Procured weapons should never be lost through any lax accountability system and the funds expended in their procurement must not be in vain. Moreover, the police must maintain transparency in handling weapons and all operational equipment entrusted into their care as part of their earning public trust in their sacred duty of upholding the security of the nation.

Already, there have been reports of police officers being implicated in stealing and transfer of firearms to criminals who have used them to exacerbate conflicts and violence across the country. In this vein, we call for their urgent arrest and prosecution to serve as deterrent to others. We demand that the police, and indeed other security agencies, protect the sanctity of their weapons. (Daily Trust Editorial)

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