3,907 firearms not missing from police armoury – Force HQ

“Furthermore, the Nigeria Police Force has a statutory and annual internal auditing process in accordance with the provisions outlined in the Police Regulations, administrative instructions and standard operating procedures (SOP) which include stringent measures to ensure controlled movement and proper accountability of arms.

“Throughout our audits, there has been no outrageous record of unaccounted or missing arms, as speculated in the 2019 report of the AuGF, despite some incidences that have been documented and managed.

“The Force has earlier defended the audit queries, which had hoped to help in reconciling the discrepancies in the reports.

“However, the hearing session presided over by the Senate Committee on Public Account has been postponed to Monday, 17th of February 2025, giving ample time for a proper cross analysis of records.

“Contrary to the make-believe and misleading reportage by some media houses, the IGP was not present when the senators were raising questions on the purported “missing” firearms.

“The IGP appeared briefly before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday 11/02/25.

“He was asked to take the usual oath and explain why he did not honour previous invitations by the committee.

“The IGP responded to the satisfaction of the committee members and was thereafter excused to take his leave while the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Police Accounts and Budget, stayed back to answer the queries of the committee.

“These queries related to the period that predated the administration of the current IGP.

“For emphasis sake, no such outrageous number of firearms is missing in the armouries of the NPF within the stated period.

“Managing mischief and the spread of misinformation against the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has been a significant challenge in recent times.

“The NPF has, in recent times, made notable strides in stabilizing the internal security space, but malicious actors seek to undermine these efforts by striving to erode public confidence in the police through the spread of malicious contents.

“It is important to note that the proliferation of misinformation, especially against institutions like the Nigeria Police have far-reaching consequences, including compromising public safety, damaging reputations, and hindering the NPF’s ability to effectively maintain law and order.

“However, the NPF remains committed to maintaining transparency and public trust and will continue to uphold the security of the nation while honouring the duty to account for all operational materials entrusted to us.”