The Senate Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday questioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the alleged disappearance of 178,459 firearms, mostly AK-47 rifles, from police commands and formations across the country.
Egbetokun, who was represented by the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Accounts and Budget, Abdul Sulaiman, appeared before the committee at the National Assembly after being summoned.
The issue came to light through the 2019 audit report by the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF), Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira. The report revealed that out of the missing firearms, 88,078 were AK-47 rifles. Additionally, over 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols could not be accounted for as of January 2020.
Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, the acting Chairman of SPAC, expressed shock over the situation, saying, “This is part of the insecurity we are having in Nigeria today. If this number of firearms is in the hands of enemies, that means we are not safe. Even the police are not safe.”
He stressed that these firearms were bought with taxpayers’ money, and Nigerians deserve to know what happened to them.
While responding to the lawmakers’ questions, AIG Sulaiman explained that some of the firearms were lost during robbery incidents or when officers were killed, and their weapons taken by criminals.
However, after reviewing police records, the committee found that only 15 officers had been recorded as either killed or injured, leading to the loss of their firearms—far less than the 3,907 unaccounted for.
Under intense questioning, Sulaiman pleaded for more time to allow the police to submit a detailed report.
“To me, no firearm is unaccounted for. We will appeal to the committee to give us more time. We will submit a full report,” he said.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole criticized the police’s explanations, saying, “The least we expect is for you to tell us that the arms have been traced to officers who were responsible. They must be arrested and paraded just like the police do to ordinary Nigerians.”
Oshiomhole insisted that those responsible should face legal action, stating, “The police must account for those arms, and whoever was in charge has to be prosecuted according to the law. We will not waive this one.”
Unsatisfied with the police’s responses, the Senate panel ordered the police team to appear again on Monday with a comprehensive report on the missing firearms.
