Nigeria: Senate Raises Alarm Over Missing 4,000 Police Firearms

The Nigerian Senate says it demands to know the whereabouts of over approximately 4,000 firearms, including AK-47 rifles, from the Nigeria Police Force.

The red chamber stated during a hearing by the Public Accounts Committee, following an audit report highlighting discrepancies in the police armory records between 2000 and 2020.

During an investigative hearing of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, lawmakers criticized the police for failing to trace the missing weapons and apprehend those responsible.

“The police will not allow these weapons to go missing at any cost, but this is a security matter best discussed privately,” he said.

Concerns were raised that these firearms may have fallen into the wrong hands, worsening the nation’s security challenges.

The majority of lawmakers however, insisted on Public Accountability. Some senators, including Senator Victor Umeh and Senator Joel Onawakpo-Thomas, sided with the chairman, disagreeing with calls for a closed-door session.

On his part, Senator Victor Umeh criticized the police for failing to recover the missing weapons in the face of 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 said.