The Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Peter Nwaebonyi, has called on the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to account for 3,907 missing firearms before any further steps are taken towards approving the national budget.
In an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Wednesday, Nwaebonyi, a Senator representing Ebonyi North, emphasized the crucial role that the police’s accountability plays in enabling lawmakers to craft a well-informed and responsible budget.
The committee’s demand follows an earlier query directed at the NPF over the firearms’ mysterious disappearance, which was first revealed in the 2019 audit report from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts had grilled the NPF on Tuesday, raising concerns about the missing weapons. In response, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun had appointed Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Suleiman Abdul to represent the police in the inquiry.
However, senators found Abdul’s explanations to be unsatisfactory, rejecting his responses as inadequate and declining a proposed executive session for further discussions.
As a result, the committee has demanded the police leadership return to answer further questions on January 17.
Nwaebonyi stressed that accountability in the NPF’s handling of these firearms is not just a matter of national security but also essential for transparent and effective budget planning.
Without a clear understanding of the police’s operations and resource management, he argued, lawmakers would be unable to appropriately allocate funds in the national budget.
“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 is missing within the Nigeria Police Force and that is what we are discussing.
“When we probed further as to the whereabout of these firearms, we discovered that some were lost as a result of death of the officers that were holding them. These people paid the supreme price, and we should honour them as a nation.
“However, over 99 per cent is unaccounted for. That is why we asked the AIG whose is representing the IG to go and come back and give us facts on this, because all we need to know is to give account as to the whereabout of these firearms.
“We need this information because it will guide us in making our budgets, because if the Nigerian police is losing such number of arms, it is important that they (should) be supported to replace the firearms, but the accounts of the missing ones must be given.”
