The Nigeria Police has clarified that 3,907 arms were unaccounted for in its armoury before Kayode Egbetokun assumed office as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
In a statement, the Force spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi said some of these weapons were taken by hoodlums during episodes of civil unrest.
“The Force wishes to clarify that this report appears to be based on an assessment of a 2019 audit by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF), likely reflecting records compiled before the current Inspector-General’s tenure,” he stated.
According to the report—specifically, Issue 3b, Subsection (iii)—the 3,907 arms were classified as unaccounted for, not missing, as widely speculated.
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Adejobi emphasised the difficulties the police faced during periods of civil unrest, noting that officers were killed, their weapons seized, and police facilities, including armouries, were attacked and looted, leading to losses.
“Nevertheless, extensive efforts have been made to track and recover these arms, with many already returned to the Force’s inventory,” he added.
He further noted that when auditors visit police armouries, they may not find all weapons present, as some are issued to officers for extended operational duties.
This, he said, could sometimes lead to misinterpretations of audit reports.
