A police inspector attached to the Kogi State Government House in Lokoja has lost an assault rifle and 30 rounds of live ammunition after suspected thieves stole his vehicle and carted away the weapon, according to an internal police wireless message.
The missing firearm belongs to Inspector Mohammed Abdullahi, attached to the Government House security detail in Lokoja.
According to the report, the officer parked his Toyota Camry with Kaduna registration number ZKW 650AA at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Lokoja on June 13 at about 7:30 p.m., leaving inside the vehicle a police rifle bearing breech number FA 4082 along with 30 rounds of 7.62×39mm live ammunition.
The officer reportedly returned later to discover that the vehicle had been stolen.
Following the report, police authorities alerted divisions, patrol units, the Control Room and the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in Lokoja, while teams were mobilised across the city and adjoining roads in an effort to recover the vehicle and the missing weapon.
The wireless message disclosed that the vehicle was later found abandoned opposite the Federal University, Felele, Lokoja. However, the rifle and ammunition had been removed before the car was recovered.
Police authorities have since launched a nationwide manhunt for the missing firearm, directing all state commands, tactical units, patrol teams, detectives and operatives to intensify efforts to trace and recover the weapon.
The signal urged officers across the country to disseminate information about the stolen rifle to their formations and divisions and to immediately notify the Kogi State Police Command if the weapon is sighted.
According to the wireless message, upon receiving the report, police divisions and other units in Lokoja were alerted and patrol teams were mobilised to search the town and major roads for possible recovery of the vehicle and rifle.
The vehicle was eventually recovered abandoned opposite the Federal University, Felele, but the rifle had already been taken away.
