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Senate quizzes police over alleged missing 178,459 firearms

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) on Tuesday queried the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, represented by the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of account and budget, Abdul Sulaiman, over alleged missing 178,459 firearms.

According to the Auditor General of the Federation, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira, in his 2019 audit report being considered by Senate Committee, the 178,459 firearms, mostly AK-47 rifles, were lost by the Nigeria Police Force commands and formations across the country.

Out of the number, “88,078 were AK-47 rifles,” according to Chira who was represented by Samuel Godwin.

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The report also said that similarly, as of January 2020, over 3,907 firearms could not be accounted for, according to the arms movement register and return of firearm records reviewed by the office of the AuGF.

On Tuesday, the committee sat to consider audit queries issued to police by the AGoF.

The AuGF’s 2019 audit report indicated that the firearms were “lost” and “unaccounted” for, covering the period 2000 to 2020.

A series of audit queries raised on the same matter over the years were unreplied to and kept recurring in the AuGF’s reports.

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According to the report: the total number of lost firearms as at December 2018, stood at 179,459 pieces.

“Out of this number, 88,078 were AK-47 rifles.

3,907 assorted rifles and pistols across different police formations could not be accounted for as at January, 2020.”

IGP Egbetokun was summoned by the SPAC to appear before it on Tuesday or risk being arrested.

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He honoured the invitation and appeared before the committee at the National Assembly.

Egbetokun, after granting the lawmakers due honours and explaining his inability to appear earlier didn’t amount to a deliberate act of disrespect for them, nominated the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in Charge of Budgets, Mr. Abdul Suleiman to represent him.

Egbetokun was then excused to go and attend to other official matters by the panel.

The SPAC had eight audit queries against the police, including a case of contract splitting involving the sum of N1.1billion.

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However, the query that generated interest was that on the firearms, mostly AK-47 rifles, said to be unaccounted for across police formations and commands in the country.

The acting Chairman of the committee, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, while expressing shock over the development, noted that cases of arms freely available in the wrong hands were contributing heavily to the insecurity in the country.

Nwebonyi said: “This is part of the insecurity we are having in Nigeria today.

“If this number of firearms is in the hands of enemies, that means we are not safe. Even the police are not safe.

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“Again, these firearms, rifles were procured with taxpayers’ money and Nigerians have a right to know what happened to them. The public should know the whereabouts of these arms.”

AIG Sulaiman, assisted by other senior police officers, while being grilled by senators, explained that some of the arms were lost in either robbery incidents or that the policemen were killed by criminals and their arms carted away.

Sulaiman also said although the police painstakingly investigated cases reported by the commands/formations, there were those not reported but the authorities always followed up on them.

However, when the committee studied the records presented by the police, members realised that only 15 policemen either died or sustained injuries and were recorded as losing their arms in the process, out of the 3,907 unaccounted for.

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Coming under a barrage of sustained questioning by the committee, AIG Sulaiman appealed for more time to enable the police authorities to submit a compressive report on the investigations, findings on the status of the firearms.

To me, no firearm is unaccounted for. We will appeal to the committee to give us more time. We will submit a full report”, Sulaiman said.

In his contribution, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, said what the lawmakers had expected to hear from the police was for them to admit that these arms were indeed lost and penalties had been meted out to the offending policemen, especially those who might have sold them to criminals.

Oshiomhole said: “The least we expect is for you to tell us that the arms have been traced to officers who were responsible.

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“They must be arrested and paraded just like the police do to ordinary Nigerians. There should be no two sets of laws for different people in Nigeria.

“The arms were procured to take care of Nigerians. Yet they have been taken away by someone.

“The police must account for those arms and whoever was in charge, has to be prosecuted according to the law. We will not waive this one.”

The SPAC, apparently not satisfied with the explanations given by the police, asked the IG’s team to reappear again on Monday.

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Natasha : Pro-Akpabio Protesters Storm UN complex

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Protesters under the platform of Women for Change Vanguard took the lingering face-off between Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Kogi lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, to the United Nations office in Abuja on Friday.

Chanting solidarity songs and displaying several banners that read ‘We believe in actual victims of sexual harassment, not people who weaponise it’ and ‘The burden of proof lies with the accuser”, the protesters challenged Akpoti-Uduaghan to provide evidence of the alleged sexual harassment she accused Akpabio of

The protest comes barely 24 hours after the Kogi Central senator filed a contempt charge against Akpabio and others over her six-month suspension without pay from the Senate.

Recall that Akpoti-Uduaghan had escalated her dispute with Akpabio, presenting her case at a United Nations forum, International Parliamentary Union, alleging political victimisation.

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She was suspended on March 6 after a heated confrontation with the Senate leadership over a new seating arrangement, which she claimed was designed to undermine her.

Tensions intensified when Akpoti-Uduaghan, on national television, accused Akpabio of punishing her for rejecting his alleged s3xual advances.

Addressing the representatives of the United Nations in Abuja, the leader of the protesters, Irene Umoh, explained that the women’s group decided to petition the UN on Friday following the manner in which Akpoti-Uduaghan has been trying to play the victim on the international stage.

Umoh also charged the global organisation to ask the suspended legislator to provide the world with credible evidence of the alleged s3xual harassment.

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She said, “This is not the first time Senator Natasha has made serious allegations against a prominent figure. Such actions risk becoming a weapon she wields against men in power, undermining the core principles of our fight against sexual violence.

“As mothers and members of the Women for Change Vanguard, we are acutely aware of the implications of false accusations. Such claims not only harm the accused but also diminish the experiences of genuine survivors.

Umoh also charged the global organisation to ask the suspended legislator to provide the world with credible evidence of the alleged s3xual harassment.

She said, “This is not the first time Senator Natasha has made serious allegations against a prominent figure. Such actions risk becoming a weapon she wields against men in power, undermining the core principles of our fight against sexual violence.

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“As mothers and members of the Women for Change Vanguard, we are acutely aware of the implications of false accusations. Such claims not only harm the accused but also diminish the experiences of genuine survivors.

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Rivers Assembly pass new major bills into law

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has endorsed three new bills aimed at shaping the state’s governance structure.

The bills were passed during the Assembly’s 136th Legislative Sitting on Friday and will be sent to Governor Siminalayi Fubara for approval.

The approved bills include the Rivers State House of Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Bill, 2025, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Bill, 2025, and the Rivers State Local Government Bill, 2025.

The Powers and Privileges Bill seeks to give the Assembly certain rights and protections to carry out its duties without interference.

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The RSIEC Bill will replace the 2018 electoral law and set new guidelines for the state’s electoral body in line with the 2022 Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.

The Local Government Bill will replace previous laws from 2018, 2023, and 2024, introducing a new framework for managing local government councils.

Speaker Martin Chike Amaewhule explained that the House was adopting parts of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act of 2017, which grants lawmakers certain authorities in carrying out their duties.

He also noted the need for the RSIEC Bill to align with national electoral laws, while the Local Government Bill was crafted to ensure compliance with constitutional provisions.

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After discussions, members of the Assembly agreed on the importance of the bills and gave their approval.

Rivers Assembly Adjourns Plenary Indefinitely
The fresh budget presentation scheduled for Wednesday March 19 may have suffered a setback as the Rivers State House of Assembly has adjourned its plenary indefinitely.

This decision, made during a session held at the assembly quarters in Port Harcourt on Friday, has raised concerns about the fate of the 2025 Appropriation Bill.

Governor Siminalayi Fubara had earlier written to the Assembly, requesting a new date for the budget presentation after his initial attempt on March 12 was unsuccessful.

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He and his entourage were reportedly locked out of the Assembly Complex, despite prior notice of his visit.

In his latest letter, dated March 13, the governor proposed presenting the budget on March 19 or any other convenient date within the month.

He reminded the lawmakers that the Supreme Court, in a ruling on February 28, had directed the presentation of the budget to the Assembly.

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El-Rufai’s son apologises to Nigerians over tweet supporting Southern Kaduna k!llings

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Bashir El-Rufai, the son of ex- Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has begged Nigerians following backlash over his controversial comment on X (formerly Twitter).

Bashir, known for his brash social media presence, had posted a controversial remark suggesting that the killings in Southern Kaduna would persist if residents continued to attack Fulani herdsmen.

It is your stupid mother that is an elephant. And Southern Kaduna residents will keep seeing sheghe (trouble or suffering) if they continue to attack indigenous Fulani herdsmen.

” Oloshi,” Bashir wrote in response to an X user, @qykali, who had accused his father of overseeing “industrial-scale ethnic cleansing” in the region during his tenure as governor.

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The term sheghe (shege)—a Hausa slang implying severe suffering—was perceived as an endorsement of violence, igniting outrage from many Nigerians who saw it as an attempt to justify the recurring massacres in Southern Kaduna, where suspected herdsmen have repeatedly attacked communities.

Following the backlash, Bashir deleted the tweet and later offered an apology, admitting that his initial post was “in bad taste.”

My tweet about Southern Kaduna residents & persecuted Fulani herdsmen was in bad taste & also badly written in an attempt to make a point in the heat of the moment. I apologize for that to those that know me, and are aware that I don’t harbor such sentiments,” he wrote on X.

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