Reps grill IGP over missing guns, N1.9m exhibits

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — MEMBERS of the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, PAC, yesterday, grilled the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for 30 minutes over alleged missing rifles and N1.9 million cash exhibit.

Chairman of PAC, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Obio/Akpor, Rivers), said based on the report of the Auditor General of the Federation of 2010 to 2013, four rifles were missing along with the cash exhibits with 55 queries raised against the Nigeria Police Force during the period.

The report said that during the audit examination of arms and ammunition in 2012, it was observed that four different brands of pistol were missing.

The report also said cash exhibits of N928,000 was missing in 2011; N100,000 in 2012 and N720,000 and a laptop worth N250,000, totaling N1.998 million, were missing. Immediately the session started, the IGP requested that he be allowed to go and attend to other responsibilities, while his other officers, led by Assistant Inspector General, AIG, in charge of budget, Abdulsami Iyaji, would respond.

In his response, the AIG said in June 2009, an officer was issued a pistol and was attacked and killed by robbers in Lagos, while they went away with the pistol. On the second pistol, he said it was issued to one sergeant, who was declared missing in action, while the third pistol was given to an officer on official assignment who lost it during an attack by robbers.

On the fourth pistol, AIG Iyaji said it was issued to an inspector in February 2008 and that he was attacked in his hotel room in Lagos, where the robbers took the pistol away.

He said the affected inspector was indicted and sanctioned. He said the officer involved in the N928,000 sum could not give account of the amount and was investigated and arraigned in court even after retirement, while N100,000 cash exhibit was given to the rightful owner.

According to him, N720,000 was erroneously stated, as the amount was actually N250,000, which he said was still available and in custody of the police. He said the case of a laptop did not exist as there was no such record with the force. The investigative hearing continues next week.