The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Thursday dismissed reports alleging that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, described the claims as misleading and inaccurate.
Also, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has written to the Senate on the alleged missing AK-47 rifles as contained in the 2019 Audit report by the office of Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF), seeking closed-door probe.
The Force Headquarters clarified that the figures cited in recent reports originated from a 2019 audit assessment, conducted before the tenure of Egbetokun.
In a statement, the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the report was a misrepresentation and that many of the weapons in question had been issued to officers for duties and later recovered.
“These allegations are inaccurate and misleading. The AuGF report does not state that 3,907 firearms were missing, but rather that they were unaccounted for at the time of the audit. This means auditors could not physically verify all arms, as some were deployed for operations,” the statement read.
The Force also pointed out that law enforcement agencies often face logistical challenges, especially during civil unrest, when officers have been attacked and arms looted.