Probe alleged ₦6.79bn police fund diversion, missing firearms, SERAP urges Tinubu. By Dally Iyamu

Probe alleged ₦6.79bn police fund diversion, missing firearms, SERAP urges Tinubu.

By Dally Iyamu 

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, and relevant anti-corruption agencies to investigate allegations of missing, diverted and misappropriated public funds totalling more than ₦6.79 billion in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.

The organisation also called on the Federal Government to prosecute anyone found culpable, including contractors, companies and public officials named in the Auditor-General’s report.

It further demanded the recovery and proper accounting of all missing public funds, firearms, ammunition and police exhibits.

SERAP made the call in a letter dated August 1, 2026, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

It said the allegations were contained in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s Annual Report published on September 9, 2025.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General’s findings reveal a disturbing pattern of corruption, financial mismanagement and poor accountability in the handling of public funds, police exhibits, firearms and ammunition, amounting to a serious breach of public trust.

The organisation expressed concern over the reported disappearance of firearms and ammunition, the unauthorised release and operational use of police exhibits, the failure to properly document recovered exhibits and the insecure storage of firearms, warning that the lapses pose significant threats to public safety and national security.

SERAP said the Auditor-General uncovered numerous financial irregularities, including payments for projects that were never executed, abandoned contracts, inflated contract sums, irregular procurement processes, unretired cash advances, unsettled insurance claims and payments for services allegedly not rendered.

Among the projects highlighted was the payment of ₦499.9 million for Phase II of the Police College in Bashar, Plateau State, which the report said was never executed despite the funds being released to a contractor.

The report also cited the payment of ₦12.9 million for the rehabilitation of Block B of the Department of Logistics and Supply building in Garki, Abuja, which was allegedly not carried out.

Similarly, the Police reportedly paid ₦111.6 million for the construction of 12 one-bedroom transit camp apartments and the rehabilitation of an administrative block at the NPF Pre-Retirement Skills Acquisition Centre in Kudan, Kaduna State, but the project was never executed.

SERAP further referenced findings that contract costs were inflated through the inclusion of taxes amounting to ₦4 million, while more than ₦1.93 billion was allegedly paid for 14 projects classified as ongoing in 2022.

According to the Auditor-General, the projects were later abandoned and replaced with new contracts that could not be traced.

The organisation also drew attention to the Auditor-General’s findings that 42 firearms, including AK-47 rifles and pistols, as well as 737 rounds of live ammunition booked into the armoury of the FCT Police Command between 2021 and 2022, were never returned, raising fears that the weapons may have gone missing or fallen into the wrong hands.

The report further alleged that police authorities converted exhibits to operational use without authorisation.

It cited a recovered Golf 3 saloon car at the Mpape Police Division that was converted into a patrol vehicle, as well as nine recovered AK-47 rifles allegedly deployed by the FCT Criminal Investigation Department without the required approval.

According to the report, the FCT Police Command also failed to account for 24 exhibits recorded between 2021 and 2022 and denied auditors access to the exhibit room. Several recovered firearms and ammunition were reportedly neither entered into the exhibit register nor handed over to the designated exhibit keeper.

The Auditor-General further alleged that monetary exhibits totalling ₦5.05 million, along with firearms, laptops and other recovered items, were released without proper authorisation or the execution of the required bond documents.

SERAP also highlighted concerns over the storage of obsolete firearms, alleging that 10 unserviceable weapons were kept in an unsecured office rather than an armoury, contrary to standard procedures.

On financial management, the organisation cited findings that the Police paid more than ₦112 million in outstanding allowances that were not captured in the approved 2022 budget and failed to prepare its 2022 financial statements in accordance with extant financial regulations.

The report also questioned the payment of ₦6 million annually to the Inspector-General of Police’s Senior Special Assistant on Revenue and Tax Matters through another staff member instead of directly to the beneficiary.

SERAP further alleged that the Police approved cash advances exceeding ₦10 million for office equipment procurement, contrary to the approved threshold of ₦200,000, and that the advances were never retired.

The Auditor-General also accused the Police of failing to properly document the death of 10 operational horses and removing the animals from stock records without due process.

It further alleged that obsolete firearms collected from police commands nationwide were not destroyed in line with established procedures.

Within the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, SERAP cited findings that contracts worth more than ₦438 million for the supply of bulletproof vests, ballistic helmets and troop carriers were awarded without due diligence.

The organisation also referenced the payment of ₦18 million for a women’s skills acquisition programme in Ondo State without supporting documentation, including participants’ registers, training manuals and certificates.

Other findings included the award of a ₦258.9 million contract to an allegedly unqualified contractor for the procurement of 10 patrol vehicles for police outposts in Kano State and the payment of ₦30.8 million in security allowances through an intermediary instead of directly to the beneficiaries.

SERAP further alleged that the Police Insurance Unit paid more than ₦681 million to insurance brokers without evidence that beneficiaries received their claims, while insurance liabilities exceeding ₦1.6 billion remained outstanding.

The report also questioned the award of contracts worth ₦57.4 million by the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Office for video cameras, customised umbrellas, towels and gift bags without competitive bidding.

It further alleged that more than ₦7.7 million in withholding tax and Value Added Tax (VAT) was not deducted from the contracts as required by law.

SERAP gave the Federal Government seven days to begin implementing its recommendations, warning that it would institute legal proceedings if no concrete action is taken.

It maintained that investigating the allegations, recovering the missing public funds and firearms, and prosecuting those responsible would strengthen accountability, improve policing and restore public confidence in the country’s anti-corruption efforts.