The Nigeria Police Force has introduced a monthly audit of arms and ammunition across its commands to address the increasing loss of firearms to criminals nationwide.

This decision follows a growing trend of firearms falling into the hands of hoodlums, attributed to officer negligence, inadequate weapon handling skills, and ineffective deployment strategies by senior personnel.

In a wireless directive issued from Force Headquarters in Abuja to state commands, the police emphasized that supervising officers would be held accountable for any missing firearms under their jurisdiction.

A portion of the memo, obtained by SaharaReporters, stated: “It is alarming to note the recurring incidents of avoidable loss of firearms to hoodlums. These incidents have been linked to negligence by officers, poor weapon handling skills, and improper deployment of personnel by senior officers.

“As a result, officers who are meant to protect the public have become vulnerable targets for attacks, lacking the necessary confidence to counter sudden threats.”

The directive also called for immediate training programs to improve officers’ firearm handling and musketry skills, aiming to boost their readiness in operational situations.

“Force Headquarters mandates urgent measures to address this issue. Commands must design and implement aggressive training on firearm handling as any further loss of weapons will not be tolerated. Supervising officers will be held responsible,” the memo warned.

Commands were instructed to immediately audit their arms and ammunition and provide a detailed report.

Furthermore, the directive mandated that state commands submit monthly returns on arms and ammunition to Force Headquarters by the 23rd of every month.