- The IGP had appeared before the Senate Committee over the missing firearms on Tuesday but excused himself and left Assistant Inspector General of Police (Budget), Abdul Suleiman, to entertain questions from the Senators.
The Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Peter Nwaebonyi, has emphasised that the police must explain the disappearance of 3,907 firearms to facilitate budget approval.
Nwaebonyi, representing Ebonyi North, made this statement on Wednesday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts questioned the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Tuesday regarding the missing firearms from its armoury, as reported in the 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF).
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun nominated Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Suleiman Abdul to address the senators’ queries.
However, lawmakers rejected the police representative’s unsatisfactory explanations on missing firearms and other audit issues, denying a requested executive session.
The committee requested the police leadership to reappear on January 17 to continue the investigation.
Nwebonyi highlighted the importance of accounting for firearms to aid lawmakers in creating informed budgets and ensuring responsible resource allocation.
“What we are considering is the report from the office of the Auditor General of the Federation from 2019 till date,” the lawmaker said.
“He gave us an insight of what they had as at 2018, but what is before us is the report from 2019 till date, and in that report, 3,907 firearms mainly AK-47 are missing within the Nigeria Police Force, and that is what we are discussing.”
“When we probed further as to the whereabouts of these firearms, we discovered that some were lost due to the death of the officers holding them, and these individuals paid the ultimate price, and we should honor them as a nation.”
“However, over 99% remain unaccounted for, which is why we asked the AIG representing the IGP to provide facts on this matter, as we need to know the whereabouts of these firearms.”
“We require this information to guide our budgetary decisions, as the Nigerian police’s loss of such a large number of arms necessitates support for replacement, but the missing firearms’ accounts must be provided.”
It is worthy to note that Nwaebonyi on Tuesday stated that the committee sitting would be open, citing that even in the United States, such proceedings are televised live.
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