A leaked internal police communication has revealed how personnel of the Nigeria Police Force lost some firearms under the watch of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun.
Earlier, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, dismissed reports alleging that 3,907 firearms are missing from its armouries, describing the claims as misleading and inaccurate.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, clarified that the report appears to originate from an assessment by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) dating back to 2019.
According to the police, the audit report merely indicated that the firearms were “unaccounted for” at the time, rather than being classified as missing.
Adejobi acknowledged that during periods of civil unrest, the police suffered attacks in which officers were killed, and arms were stolen.
However, he assured that efforts had been made to recover the missing weapons, with many already returned to the police armouries.
He further explained that auditors conducting inspections may not always find all firearms physically present in armouries, as many are issued to personnel for ongoing operations, sometimes for extended periods.
This, he said, could lead to misunderstandings regarding the accuracy of audit reports.
According to Adejobi, throughout our audits, there has been no outrageous record of unaccounted or missing arms, as speculated in the 2019 report of the AuGF, despite some incidences that have been documented and managed.
“Contrary to the make-believe and misleading reportage by some media houses, the IGP was not present when the senators were raising questions on the purported “missing” firearms,” he said.
Adejobi said the IGP appeared briefly before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
“He was asked to take the usual oath and explain why he did not honour previous invitations by the committee,” he said.
“These queries related to the period that predated the administration of the current IGP. For emphasis’s sake, no such outrageous number of firearms is missing in the armouries of the NPF within the stated period,” he added.
However, a police wireless message, dated September 12, 2024, and obtained by SaharaReporters, details an ambush on police and military personnel by armed bandits in Zamfara State, leading to the loss of firearms.
According to the memo, heavily armed bandits ambushed military personnel escorting a Setraco Construction Company convoy on the Tazame-Yandoto Highway in Kotorkoshi District, Bungudu Local Government Area.
The attack resulted in the deaths of five police officers and three soldiers, with four service rifles, including AK-47s, seized by the assailants.
The document reveals that a Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) team, responding to the attack, ran out of ammunition due to the overwhelming firepower of the bandits.
The bodies of the slain officers were later recovered and taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Gusau for post-mortem examination.
The wireless memo reads, “SITREP ZFS COMND X 12/09/2024 X BANDITRY ACTIVITIES X DEATH OF POLICE & MILITARY PERSONNEL AND LOST OF FIREARMS X BE INFORMED THAT X REPORT FROM SUPOL KOTORKOSHI DIV MINE X REVEALS THAT X DATE AT ABT 0700HRS X A GROUP OF ARMED BANDITS IN THEIR LARGE NUMBERS WIELDING SOPHISTICATED WEAPONS X LAID AN AMBUSH ON MILITARY ATTACHED TO SETRACO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY BETWEEN TAZAME & YANDOTO HIGHWAY IN KOTORKOSHI DISTRICT OF BUNGUDU LGA MINE WHILE HEADING TO THE COMPANY SITE X ON RECEIPT OF THE REPORT X A TEAM OF CTU PERSONNEL ON PIN DOWN POINT AT TAZAME VILLAGE RESPONDED TO THE DISTRESS CALL AND ALSO ENTERED INTOTHE AMBUSHED X AFTER A LONG EXCHANGE OF FIRE X THE TEAM RAN SHORT OF AMMUNITION DUE TO THE BANDITS’ LARGE NUMBER X UNFORTUNATELY X FIVE (5) POLICE PERSONNEL X (FOUR CTU & ONE PMF) NAMELY X AP. 335808 INSP MURTALA AHMED X AP. 360880 INSP SANI ABDULLAHI X AP. 360877 INSP AKILU ISAH X AP. 363748 INSP KABIRU HALLIRU AND F/NO. 503744 SGT JUNAIDU ABUBAKAR AND THREE MILITARY PERSONNEL WERE SHOT DEAD BY THE BANDITS AND FOUR OF THEIR SERVICEABLE RIFLES WITH BREACH NOS. T06 07004055 X AK-47 56-14861553 X AK-47 56-2403214 & AK-47 13411 WERE CARTED AWAY BY THE BANDITS X HOWEVER X COMPOL DOPS MINE LED JOINT POLICE TACTICAL TEAMS TO THE SCENE X THE ENTIRE AREA WAS COMBED AND SEARCHED X CORPSES RECOVERED AND EVACUATED TO FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE (FMC) GUSAU MINE FOR POST MORTEM EXAM X MEANWHILE X EFFORTS TO RECOVER THE CARTED AWAY ARMS INTENSIFIED AND BEING SUSTAINED X ABOVE FOR YOUR INFO PLEASE X COMPOL DOPS GUSAU.”
Meanwhile, earlier before, on September 30, 2024, the Nigerian Police Force issued an urgent security alert to all commands across the country, warning of potential increased attacks by bandits targeting security personnel for weapons.
In a classified wireless message obtained by SaharaReporters, marked “M/IMMEDIATE” and sent from the Department of Operations (DOPS) in Abuja, police officers nationwide were directed to remain on high alert and safeguard their firearms.
The alert was circulated to all Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) across the country, including those overseeing counter-terrorism, mobile police, special forces, and maritime security.
The memo noted that as counterterrorism efforts continue, particularly in the North and South-East, criminals might intensify efforts to attack security agents and seize arms.
Officers, whether in uniform or plainclothes, were instructed to engage criminals in line with Force Order 237 and to take all necessary precautions to prevent weapon theft.
“In order to avoid such ugly incidents, police personnel bearing arms should be at alert, engage criminals in line with Force Order 237, and guide jealously against their rifles,” the directive stated.
It also warned that any loss of firearms due to negligence would not be tolerated.
The warning followed a surge in security threats, with criminal groups increasingly targeting law enforcement officers for weapons and ammunition. The directive served as a nationwide call for heightened vigilance amid security challenges.
Police commands were instructed to brief and train their personnel accordingly, ensuring strict compliance with the security measures outlined in the memo.
The wireless message, referenced as 13/924CB:0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.36/940, stated: “X SECURITY GENERAL X IN VIEW OF THE SUSTAINING COUNTER TERRORISM OPERATIONS BY THE SECURITY FORCES ESPECIALLY IN NORTHERN X SOUTH-EASTERN REGIONS X THE MORE BANDITS ARE ATTACKED THE MORE LIKELY THERE WILL BE INCREASE IN ATTACKS ON SECURITY AGENTS FOR ARMS X IT IS CERTAIN THAT CRIMINALS WILL INTENSIFY EFFORTS TO ATTACK AND SNATCH ARMS X AMMUNITION FROM POLICE PERSONNEL X IN ORDER TO AVOID SUCH UGLY INCIDENTS X INGEPOL DIRECTS X POLICE PERSONNEL BEARING ARMS EITHER IN MUFTI OR UNIFORM AT ANY DUTY POST X SHOULD BE AT ALERT X ENGAGE CRIMINALS IN LINE WITH FORCE ORDER 237 X AVOID ANY FORM OF ATTACKS X GUIDE JEALOUSLY AGAINST THEIR RIFLES X YOU ARE TO LECTURE PERSONNEL YOURS ACCORDINGLY X INCIDENTS OF LOSS OF ARMS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED X TREAT AS VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE XXXX XXX.”
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