The Nigeria Police Force has denied allegations that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, describing the claims as misleading and inaccurate. According to Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the allegations stem from a 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which does not reflect the current status of the police armouries
Adejobi explained that the report states that 3,907 arms were “unaccounted for,” not “missing,” as speculated in the news. He also noted that weapons assigned to officers for operations may not always be present during audits, leading to misconceptions about the accuracy of audit reports.
The police also highlighted that some arms were lost due to attacks on police formations during civil unrest, but efforts have been made to recover these arms, and many have already been accounted for.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee had expressed concern over discrepancies in police armoury records, citing findings from the Auditor-General’s 2019 audit report. However, the police maintained that the figures do not reflect the current status of their armouries.
The Senate Committee has postponed further hearings on the audit to Monday, February 17, 2025, allowing the police time to reconcile discrepancies in the records. The police have expressed concern over misinformation aimed at undermining public confidence in law enforcement
