The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has directed an immediate audit of all personnel within the Nigerian Police Force, alongside a nationwide review of the Force’s armouries.
In a directive dated February 27, 2025, and obtained by SaharaReporters on Saturday, Egbetokun instructed all police formations to assess the current state of arms and ammunition in their possession. This decision follows concerns raised by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts over the alleged disappearance of 3,907 rifles and pistols from the police armoury, as highlighted in the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) report of 2019.
The OAuGF’s annual report, covering non-compliance and internal control weaknesses in Nigeria’s Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for the year ending December 31, 2019, was submitted to the National Assembly under reference AuGF/AR.2019/02 on September 15, 2021. Signed by the then Auditor General, Adolphus Aghughu, the report accused the police of failing to keep proper records of unserviceable weapons, warning that such negligence could result in firearms falling into the wrong hands for illegal activities.
According to the report, this situation violates paragraph 2603 of the Financial Regulations, which mandates that in the event of a loss of government property, the officer in charge must report the incident within three days using the fastest communication method available.
In his directive, Egbetokun also ordered the immediate withdrawal of all police officers attached to VIPs who do not have official approval, as well as the shutdown of unauthorized security beats.
The signal read in part: “As a matter of urgency, conduct a comprehensive audit of all personnel as well as firearms currently in your charge. Submit detailed reports in both soft and hard copies no later than March 14, 2025. Soft copies must be sent in editable formats via WhatsApp number 07019990000. Furthermore, all personnel attached to VIPs without approval must be immediately withdrawn, and all unauthorized beats must be shut down. Reports on these actions must be submitted alongside other required returns without fail. Non-compliance will attract severe sanctions.”
