Senate panel queries police over 3,907 missing arms

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has raised concerns over the disappearance of 3,907 rifles and pistols from various police formations in the country in 2020.

The committee also revisited the case of reported missing 178,459 firearms, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles from police inventory.

The concerns were raised on Tuesday when the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, appeared before the committee to respond to audit queries flagged in the 2019 Auditor-General Report.

Mr Egbetokun was represented by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Sulaiman Abdul.

The lawmakers pressed the police to explain how such a high number of firearms could go missing without accountability and warned that the ammunition might have fallen into the wrong hands, a situation that fuels criminal activities across the country.

During the session, the senators sought to know why several ammunition are missing and unaccounted for in the police force and how the police are tracking those responsible for the actions.

Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, asked about the whereabouts of the missing arms.

Mr Oshiomhole, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Interior, expressed concerns that the firearms could have been used to perpetrate crimes, worsening Nigeria’s security crisis.

“The attempt by AIG to take cover or refuge under security issues is completely inappropriate because you know more than us.

“You should be very worried that about 4,000 arms, some of which could have been used by criminals to compound the security situation we are facing as a peopl.. But as we speak, you don’t know who is responsible,” he said.

The senator recommended that the police must take full responsibility for tracking these missing arms and bringing those responsible to justice.

The Nigerian Senate [PHOTO CREDIT: @NgrSenate]

“It is your duty to go and find out. 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 or are responsible for missing of these number of arms, you have an obligation not only to disclose but to apprehend and arraign the person.

“This country must operate under the same level of rule of law. The police are supposed to be our friends. But let me ask you a personal question – how did you feel that our 4,000 AK-47 procured by tax payers money are missing? What is worrisome is that this money used to procure arms for protecting Nigerians is now lost,” Mr Oshiomhole added.

Officers selling arms to criminals

Anambra Central Senator Victor Umeh alleged that some police officers entrusted with securing armouries were instead selling arms to criminals.

“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,” he said.

Mr Umeh criticised the police for failing to proactively address these security breaches, adding that those responsible must be identified and held accountable.

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“Almost 4,000 arms and the police have not been able to nip it in the bud and apprehend those who will answer for this,” he said.

In response to the senators’ concerns, Mr Abdul requested that further discussions on the missing arms be held in a closed-door session.

However, the committee insisted on a more transparent and detailed explanation.

Ebonyi North Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who chaired the session, ruled that the police chief must reappear before the committee with more comprehensive answers.

“This committee is not satisfied with the explanations on these missing rifles. While we pray for God to forgive and accept the lives of our police officers that have died in the course that the rifles were taken away, we expect the office of the IGP to appear before us again on Monday by 12 noon,” Mr Nwebonyi said.