By Olaitan Ibrahim
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed claims that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, stating that the allegations are misleading and inaccurate.
In a statement on Thursday, the Force Headquarters acknowledged challenges encountered during civil unrest, including the killing of police officers, attacks on armouries, and the looting of arms. However, it emphasised that efforts have been made to recover and account for the lost weapons.
According to Force Public Relations Officer ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, “Every effort has been made to account for the arms taken, and many have already been recovered and returned to the force’s armouries.”
It reads, “The Nigeria Police Force expresses surprise and deep concerns regarding recent news alleging that 3,907 arms are missing from the Nigeria Police Force.
“These allegations are misleading and inaccurate.
“The Force wishes to clarify that this report appears to stem from an assessment of the report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, AuGF dating back to 2019, likely reflecting records compiled prior to the current Inspector-General of Police’s tenure.
“In the report, according to Issue 3b, Sub (iii), it is stated that 3907 arms were unaccounted for and not “missing” as speculated by the news.
“It is important to acknowledge the challenges faced by the police during periods of civil unrest, during which several Police Officers were killed and their arms carted away, and some attacks and looting of police facilities and armories, resulting in the loss of arms.
“However, every effort has been made to account for the arms that were taken, while many have been recovered back to the arms holding of the force at the moment.
“We also note that when auditors conduct visits to our armories, they may not find all arms present at the time due to the issuance of weapons to personnel for operational purposes, many spanning to months depending on the nature of such operations.
“Consequently, this may lead to misconceptions regarding the accuracy of audit reports.