Drama unfolded on Tuesday at the Senate Committee on Public Accounts as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Suleiman Abdul, was interrogated over 3,907 missing assault rifles, including AK-47s, that could not be accounted for by the Nigerian Police.
The inquiry began when the representative of the Auditor-General for the Federation read out a 2019 audit query revealing that by January 2020, a total of 3,907 assault rifles were missing, with no clear explanation for their disappearance. This shocking revelation prompted intense questioning from the Committee.
Earlier in the session, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, appeared before the Committee and apologized for not honoring previous invitations. After offering his apology, Egbetokun nominated AIG Abdul to address the eight queries issued against the Police by the Auditor-General’s office.
While the Committee, chaired by Deputy Chairman Peter Nwaobonyi of Ebonyi North, dismissed one query concerning N1.136 billion contract splitting and postponed another on a non-executed N925 million contract, they chose to focus on the third query involving the missing firearms.
AIG Abdul explained that as of December 2018, the total number of lost firearms stood at 178,459, including 88,078 AK-47 rifles. A thorough audit in January 2020 revealed that 3,907 assault rifles and pistols were unaccounted for across various police formations. The breakdown of the missing firearms included:
- 601 from 15 training institutions
- 42 from 23 police formations
- 1,514 from 37 police commands
- 29 from Zones 1 to 12
- 1,721 from the Police Mobile Force (PMF)
The Committee was outraged by the lack of satisfactory explanations for the missing rifles, with AIG Abdul and his team unable to offer convincing answers. As the questioning grew more intense, Abdul requested a closed-door session, which was promptly rejected by the Committee.
Senator Nwaobonyi firmly stated, “This is a public accounts committee that has no room for closed-door sessions. In the United States, proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee are televised live. Whatever the AIG wants to say about the missing rifles should be done in full public view, particularly for the benefit of journalists.”
Adams Oshiomhole also rejected the request, saying, “The Police are known for arresting and parading thieves of rats and rabbits. The AIG should explain to Nigerians what steps have been taken regarding the missing rifles, who was involved, and the level of recovery.”
In his response, AIG Abdul could only account for 15 of the 3,907 missing rifles, 14 of which were lost through personnel killed in active service, and one rifle reportedly lost in 1998. This feeble explanation further angered the Committee members.
The Committee, determined to get to the bottom of the matter, resolved that AIG Abdul and his team must provide a more thorough response to the query. They were directed to return next Monday at 12 noon to answer remaining questions, and the consideration of the remaining five queries was suspended until then.
