The Nigeria Police Force has initiated a monthly audit of arms and ammunition across its commands as it grapples with the increasing loss of firearms to hoodlums nationwide.
The measure comes in response to rising incidents of firearms being seized by criminals, which the police attribute to negligence, poor weapon handling skills, and flawed deployment strategies by senior officers.
In a wireless directive sent from Force Headquarters in Abuja to state commands, the police warned that supervising officers would be held accountable for any missing firearms under their watch.
Part of the memo, obtained by SaharaReporters, read: “It has been observed with dismay, the disturbing incidents of avoidable loss of firearms to hoodlums. This has been found traceable to negligence on the part of the men, poor knowledge of weapon handling, [and] insensitive deployment of men by senior officers.
“As such, policemen who should be protecting the citizenry are themselves vulnerable and have become targets of frequent attacks as they lack the courage to counter any sudden attack.”
The directive also instructed state commands to implement aggressive training programs focused on firearm handling and musketry skills to enhance the operational readiness of officers.
“Consequently, the Force Headquarters directs you [to] emplace urgent measures to stem the ugly tide. You are to immediately design [and]embark on aggressive training on musket firearm handling, as any loss of firearms will not be tolerated. Supervising officers will be heldresponsible,” the memo stated.
Commands were also directed to conduct an immediate audit of their arms and ammunition and submit a comprehensive report.
Additionally, the memo mandated the submission of monthly returns on arms and ammunition to Force Headquarters by the 23rd of every month.
