ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Senate Public Accounts Committee has expressed deep concerns over financial irregularities and the disappearance of more than 3,900 firearms from the Nigeria Police Force, including AK-47 rifles feared to be in the hands of criminal elements.
During a review of the Auditor-General’s report, lawmakers uncovered eight infractions involving the police, including contract irregularities amounting to N1.136 billion and the alarming loss of thousands of weapons.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (Budget), Abdul Suleiman, assured the committee that the police had responded adequately to the audit queries.
However, tensions flared when some lawmakers disagreed on the way forward.
Channels Television reports that Senator Ningi suggested holding an executive session to discuss the matter privately but later stormed out of the meeting when the proposal was opposed.
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The committee chairman insisted that the police must disclose the whereabouts of the missing firearms, stressing that the matter is of national importance.
In response, AIG Suleiman urged lawmakers to exercise discretion, saying, “The police will not allow these weapons to go missing at any cost, but this is a security matter best discussed privately.”
However, many senators pushed for public accountability. Senator Victor Umeh and Senator Joel Onawakpo-Thomas backed the chairman, rejecting calls for a closed-door session.
Senator Victor Umeh strongly criticised the police for their inability to recover the missing firearms, citing rising insecurity across the country.
“Thousands of AK-47s are missing at a time when insecurity is at its peak. The police should have been able to trace these arms.
“If over 3,900 rifles are unaccounted for, it means our security is compromised. Claiming it’s a ‘security issue’ without providing answers only raises more concerns,” he argued.
Following a voice vote, the majority of lawmakers agreed to proceed with the session publicly rather than behind closed doors.
In their defense, the police claimed that some of the firearms had been lost in attacks on officers, where weapons were taken from slain personnel.
They maintained that no arms were unaccounted for despite the findings in the audit report.
However, the Senate Public Accounts Committee expressed dissatisfaction with this explanation and summoned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to appear before the committee on Monday for further clarification.