The Nigeria Police Force has strongly refuted claims in the 2019 Audit Report by the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF) that 3,907 assault rifles and pistols are missing from its armoury as of January 2020.
The Police described the report as “rooted in inaccuracies” and criticized the manner in which the Senate Public Accounts Committee conducted the investigative hearing.
In a letter read during plenary by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun appealed for future probes into sensitive security issues to be held behind closed doors to prevent misinformation and unnecessary public panic.
Egbetokun argued that the report of the public scrutiny of the missing firearms had caused severe reputational damage to both the Police Force and the Nigerian government, both domestically and internationally.
He added that the unfortunate incident has far-reaching consequences, perpetuating a false narrative about the institution and its leadership
The IGP in his letter, urged the Senate leadership to grant the Police Force more time to conduct a thorough internal investigation.
He stressed that holding sensitive hearings in camera (closed-door sessions) would prevent the spread of misinformation, protect national security, and allow for more candid discussions without compromising sensitive information.
Following the IGP’s letter, Senate Deputy Whip, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, who presided over the Senate Public Accounts Committee in the absence of the Chairman, Aliyu Wadada, had directed the Police to return next Monday with a better explanation regarding the alleged missing firearms.
During the public hearing, Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Suleiman Abdul, who represented the IGP, struggled to provide adequate responses to the Senate’s queries on the 3,907 missing firearms flagged in the Audit report
The Police Force representatives were only able to account for 15 rifles, leaving lawmakers dissatisfied with their explanations.
When faced with further scrutiny, AIG Abdul requested a closed-door session, but the Committee swiftly rejected the request, insisting that the matter had already been made public and that the Police had ample time to respond to the Auditor-General’s office.
In his reaction, Senate President Akpabio acknowledged that some misinformation may have been circulated regarding the missing firearms
However, he assured that both the Police and the Senate would conduct thorough independent investigations to verify the claims.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
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