Senate Committee on Public Accounts has questioned the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over the disappearance of 3,907 assault rifles, as highlighted in the 2019 Audit Report by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF).
The issue came under scrutiny on Tuesday when the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, appeared before the committee to respond to queries raised in the audit report.
This development follows recent concerns raised by the committee regarding the failure of some top government agencies to honor invitations for accountability hearings.
However, the IGP, upon appearing before the committee, apologized for not honoring previous invitations regarding the alleged financial infractions raised against the police in the 2019 Audit Report.
After his apology and taking an oath, Egbetokun nominated the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Public Accounts and Budget, Suleiman Abdul, to respond to the eight queries issued against the police by the Office of the Auditor General.
The committee, chaired by its Deputy Chairman, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi, set aside the first query, which pertained to contract splitting worth ₦1.136 billion, and postponed deliberation on the second query regarding the alleged non-execution of a ₦925 million contract, however, it upheld the third query concerning the alleged disappearance of 3,907 assault rifles, many of which were AK-47s.
Tensions arose when a representative of the Auditor General read the query before the committee members and AIG Suleiman Abdul. According to the 2019 Audit Report, as of January 2020, a total of 3,907 assault rifles remained unaccounted for by the police.
According to him, “The total number of lost firearms as of December 2018 stood at 178,459, out of which 88,078 were AK-47 rifles.
“However, as of January 2020, based on a thorough audit, 3,907 assault rifles and pistols across different police formations could not be accounted for.”
He further detailed the missing firearms as follows: 601 from 15 training institutions, 42 from 23 police formations, 1,514 from 37 police commands, 29 from Zones 1 to 12, and 1,721 from Police Mobile Force (PMF) units 1 to 68.
The members of the committee were irritated by the report and bombarded the police team with questions about why such queries had not been addressed since they were issued.
In their responses, neither AIG Suleiman Abdul nor any member of his team could provide the committee with convincing explanations for the missing 3,907 assault rifles.
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, AIG Abdul requested a closed-door session. However, this request was rejected by the majority of the committee members, including the Deputy Chairman, who presided over the session, as well as Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Joel Onawakpo-Thomas.
Specifically in rejecting AIG Abdul’s request , Senator Nwaebonyi said no closed door session would be allowed under him .
“This is a Public Accounts Committee, and there is no room for a closed-door session. For example, in the United States, Public Accounts Committee proceedings are televised live. Therefore, any response the AIG wants to give regarding the missing assault rifles should be made openly, especially in the presence of journalists.”
Also rejecting the AIG’s request, Senator Oshiomhole remarked that the police are known for arresting and parading petty thieves who steal rats and rabbits, and the same level of accountability is expected regarding the missing assault rifles.
“The AIG should inform Nigerians about the steps the police have taken over the years concerning the missing assault rifles, who was involved, and the extent of recovery made,” he stated.
In his response, the AIG could only account for 15 out of the 3,907 missing assault rifles.
He explained that 14 of them were lost when the officers in possession were killed in active service, while one went missing in 1998. This explanation further infuriated the committee members.
To allow for a more comprehensive response, the committee resolved that the AIG and his team should revisit the query and provide a proper explanation, emphasizing that the matter would not be ignored.
They were directed to reappear before the committee on Monday at 12 noon, while consideration of the remaining five queries was suspended.
- COV/Bashir M
