Senate Grills Inspector General Over 178,459 Missing Firearms and N1.1bn Contract Splitting Allegations

 The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) on Tuesday interrogated Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun over an alarming report detailing 178,459 missing firearms, predominantly AK-47 rifles, and allegations of contract splitting amounting to N1.1bn within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Egbetokun, appearing before the committee after previous absences, apologized for missing prior summons due to official commitments. To ensure continued compliance, he appointed Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Abdul Sulaiman as the force’s representative before the Senate.

The Auditor General’s 2019 report revealed that, as of December 2018, 88,078 AK-47 rifles and thousands of other firearms had disappeared from police armories nationwide. The report raised concerns that these weapons could have fallen into the hands of criminals, exacerbating Nigeria’s security crisis.

Senators expressed outrage over the report, with Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi linking the missing firearms to the country’s rising insecurity. Senator Adams Oshiomhole insisted that accountability was necessary, urging the police to identify and prosecute those responsible for the lapses.

AIG Sulaiman, representing the IGP, acknowledged that some weapons were lost during attacks on police officers but downplayed the scale of the problem. The Senate, dissatisfied with this response, has demanded a comprehensive report by January 17, 2025, including details of officers responsible and steps taken to recover the missing weapons.