BREAKING: Senate grills IGP over 3,907 missing rifles in Police armoury

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, came under intense scrutiny on Tuesday as the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) rejected the police’s explanation regarding the disappearance of 3,907 assault rifles and pistols from its armoury as of January 2020.

The Senate, expressing dismay, insisted that the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) must fully account for the missing weapons. The Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF), Olu Samuel Godwin, had earlier raised the query, citing findings from a 2019 audit report.

According to the audit report, a review of the arms movement register and monthly returns of arms and ammunition showed that a total of 178,459 firearms were missing as of December 2018, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles.

It was also revealed that the Police Mobile Force Squadron in Abuja failed to report any missing firearms, while a separate schedule from the same department showed that 46 firearms went missing between 2000 and 2019.

In response, the police could only account for 15 out of the missing 3,907 rifles, with explanations dating back as far as 1998. When the police requested a closed-door session, the Senate Committee rejected the request, demanding more transparency.

Following the Senate’s refusal, the police pleaded for more time to conduct a thorough investigation and provide a detailed report on the missing firearms.

More details to follow…