The office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAgF) has requested the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to produce Police Investigation Reports with respect to 56 police rifles which got missing from different divisions in Anambra State between 2016 and 2017.

This, according to Daily Trust, followed an audit inspection conducted by the OAgF within the period under review which also revealed that the rifles went missing along with 2048 rounds of ammunition.

A total of 55 police rifles with 2048 rounds of ammunition got missing at different police divisions in Anambra State as at the time of the audit inspection. The report, however, said “neither a Police Investigation Report nor completed Part II and III of the Treasury Form 146” was forwarded to the OAgF’s office to inform it about the missing weapons, contrary to the provision of Financial Regulations 2604 and 2606.

“The Inspector-General of Police has been requested to produce the Police Investigation Reports and completed Part II and III of the Treasury Form 146 for audit verification. His response is still being awaited,” the OAgF said in his current Annual Report which was transmitted to the National Assembly on May 30, 2018.

Also missing, according to the 2016 Auditor General’s Report, a copy of which Daily Trust on Sunday exclusively obtained, is one AK47 rifle with breech No. 04341 with 10 rounds of live 7.62x39mm ammunition lost by a police officer on July 10, 2016 through signal no CB:2310/IMS/W1/VOL.1/121, DTO: 250900/07/2016.

Although the officer alleged that he was attacked by hoodlums at the police station, Iho in Imo State, on July 10, 2016, there was neither a Police Investigation Report nor a completed Part II and III of the Treasury Form 146 presented for audit inspection, in compliance with the provisions of Financial Regulations 2504 and 2505, the report stated.

It was based on this that the Inspector-General of Police was requested to produce the Police Investigation Reports and completed Part II and III of the Treasury Form 146 for audit verification, even as his response was still being awaited, the audit report indicated.

It was not clear at the time of filing this report if the police IG had subsequently complied with the OAgF’s request and furnished the office with the documents.

The Force Police Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, did not pick phone calls or a text message seeking to know if the IGP had responded to the Auditor General’s request asking him to produce Police Investigation Reports on the missing rifles and ammunition for audit verification.

The report also frowned at the absence of reported cases of losses of cash and items arising from theft, fraud, negligence, death of government debtors, inadequate security and non-observance of existing regulations by government agencies between 2011 and 2015.

Missing vehicles

According to Daily Trust report, among unreported losses incurred by MDA’s, according to the report, is a Toyota Camry 2010 model with registration number FG 02 43F, belonging to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe.

The vehicle valued at N7, 974,750.00 and attached to the Chief Medical Director, was said to have been snatched by armed robbers on August 27, 2015 around 7.45pm, between Shitu Aloa Barracks and Keffi Town.

At the Ministry of Information and Culture, three vehicles (Toyota Land Cruiser and 2 (two) Toyota Hillux pick up vans) were said to be missing as at July, 2017. Audit investigation was said to have revealed that the vehicles were in the custody of a former minister of the ministry and a female staff in Sure-P Office.

Following unsuccessful efforts to recover the missing vehicles which were also were said to have been boarded without compliance to extant regulations, the Permanent Secretary was requested to recover the missing vehicles from the affected officers and forward recovery particulars for audit verification.

The Permanent Secretary was also asked to produce the individual vehicle files of 8 vehicles claimed to be boarded to the OAgF for verification.

At the Federal Ministry of Interior a Toyota Avensis with registration number FG 522-A14 was allegedly stolen but the loss was said to be unreported and no Police Report was presented for audit examination, contrary to Financial Regulation 2606(ii) (a-h).

•Excerpted from a Daily Trust report.

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