Customs intercepts large cache of arms, ammunition in Lagos

• 3,907 weapons unaccounted for, not missing, police clarify
• IGP writes Senate, urges in-camera probe

Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) has handed over various arms and ammunition smuggled into the country that it intercepted from the Lagos airport. This was as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) dismissed reports suggesting that 3,907 weapons were missing from its armoury, calling the claims inaccurate and misleading.

According to Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the allegation is based on a 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF).

Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, wrote to the Senate requesting an executive session with its panel on Public Accounts over the investigations into the missing firearms, citing security reasons.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated that some of the importers of the assault weapons had been convicted while other cases were still in court.  He stated this, yesterday while handing over 1,599 assorted arms and 2, 298 live cartridges to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

Adeniyi disclosed that 11 suspects connected to the arms trafficking network were also handed over for further investigation and possible prosecution. According to him, NCS has reinforced its core mandate of protecting the nation’s borders through targeted anti-smuggling operations and precise intelligence-driven interventions.

On his part, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, commended the collaborative efforts between Customs and other arms-bearing agencies. The Director General of NCCSALW, Johnson Kokumo, who represented the NSA, reiterated the government’s commitment to preventing the circulation of illicit arms.

ADEJOBI explained that the report revealed that the weapons were unaccounted for at the time, not that they had disappeared. He also clarified that the findings were recorded before the tenure of the present IGP, Kayode Egbetokun.

“The report states that 3,907 arms were ‘unaccounted for,’ not ‘missing,’ as speculated in the news,” he said. The PPRO noted that during times of civil unrest, police officers were attacked, with some losing their lives and their weapons taken, adding that some police stations and armouries had been looted, temporarily affecting records of firearms. However, he assured that many of the arms had since been recovered and accounted for.

He further explained that when auditors inspect police armouries, they might not always find every firearm physically present, as weapons were frequently issued to officers for operations that could last for months. This, he said, could lead to misunderstandings in audit reports.

THE IGP’s request was to push back against the 2019 Audit Report by the AuGF, which alleged that 3,907 assault rifles were either missing or unaccounted for in police armouries as of January 2020.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the IGP appreciated the efforts of the Senate to conduct a “thorough investigation” into the alleged missing firearms from their armoury as of December 2020.

“We appreciate the Senate committee’s probe into the alleged missing firearms and urge the committee to conduct future hearings on sensitive security issues in camera so that the wrong impressions would not be created in the minds of Nigerians and the minds of the international community.

“This is crucial to prevent misinformation and ensure national security. Conducting hearings on these sensitive security issues on camera will help prevent the spread of misinformation and protect national security interests. It will also allow for more candid discussions and fact-finding.”

The police dismissed the Auditor-General’s report as “rooted in inaccuracies” and criticised the handling of the issue by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.

Meanwhile, Senate Deputy Whip, Onyekachi Nwoebonyi, who presided over the hearing in the absence of Chairman, Aliyu Wadada, directed the police to return next Monday with a clearer explanation.  Despite his attempts to justify the committee’s public approach, police concerns over the handling of the matter were largely ignored.