Drama unfolded at the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Suleiman Abdul faced tough questioning over 3,907 missing assault rifles, including AK-47s.
The committee, chaired by Deputy Chairman Senator Peter Nwaebonyi, cited a 2019 audit report revealing that as of January 2020, the weapons were unaccounted for across various police formations. The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who earlier apologized for missing previous invitations, delegated AIG Abdul to respond to the audit queries.
Breaking down the figures, the report noted that 601 firearms were missing from 15 training institutions, 42 from 23 police formations, 1,514 from 37 state commands, 29 from zonal commands, and 1,721 from the Police Mobile Force units.
When pressed for answers, AIG Abdul and his team failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Overwhelmed by questioning, he requested a closed-door session, but Senators Nwaebonyi, Adams Oshiomhole, and Joel Onawakpo-Thomas rejected the request, insisting on transparency.
Senator Oshiomhole criticized the police for publicly parading minor criminals but failing to address the loss of high-grade weapons. In response, AIG Abdul could only account for 15 of the missing rifles, stating that 14 were lost in active service and one dated back to 1998, further frustrating the committee members.
The committee directed the police team to refine their responses and reappear on Monday at noon, emphasizing that the issue would not be swept under the carpet. Consideration of the remaining five audit queries was suspended.
