|By Adejumo Adekunle –
Lawmakers demand full disclosure on lost firearms
AIG struggles to justify missing rifles, offers weak explanations
Senate insists on public hearing, sets Monday deadline for police response
A dramatic session unfolded at the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday as lawmakers interrogated Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Suleiman Abdul over 3,907 missing assault rifles, a significant number of which were AK-47s.
AIG Abdul, representing Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, sat attentively as a representative of the Auditor General for the Federation read from the 2019 audit report. The findings revealed that by January 2020, thousands of police firearms had either vanished or remained unaccounted for.
Earlier, IGP Egbetokun, who had previously ignored multiple summonses, personally appeared before the committee to apologize before delegating AIG Abdul to respond to eight audit queries against the police.
During the session, the committee—led by its Deputy Chairman, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi—dismissed a query regarding a ₦1.136 billion contract splitting case and deferred another concerning a ₦925 million contract. However, lawmakers sustained a third query relating to the 3,907 missing rifles.
According to the audit breakdown, as of December 2018, 178,459 police firearms were unaccounted for, including 88,078 AK-47s. By January 2020, a refined audit found that 3,907 rifles and pistols had gone missing across various police divisions. The distribution of the missing weapons included:
601 from 15 training institutions
42 from 23 police formations
1,514 from 37 state police commands
29 from zones 1–12
1,721 from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) units 1–68
Disturbed by the revelations, lawmakers pressed the police team for explanations. However, neither AIG Abdul nor his aides could provide a satisfactory response. Under mounting scrutiny, Abdul requested a closed-door session—an appeal swiftly rejected by the committee.
“This is a public accounts committee; there will be no secret hearings under my watch,” Senator Nwaebonyi declared. “In the United States, these proceedings are broadcast live.”
Backing this stance, Senator Adams Oshiomhole remarked, “The police are quick to parade petty criminals, yet they cannot explain how thousands of assault rifles disappeared. Nigerians deserve answers.”
Struggling to justify the missing firearms, AIG Abdul could only account for 15 out of the 3,907 rifles, claiming 14 were lost due to officers killed in action and one went missing in 1998. This feeble response only fueled the committee’s frustration.
Seeking accountability, the Senate ordered AIG Abdul and his team to return on Monday at noon with a comprehensive report, stressing that the matter would not be swept under the rug. Meanwhile, consideration of the remaining five queries was put on hold.
