Nigeria Police Lost 201 Rifles to Armed Groups From 2021 to Mid-2026, Report Says

The Nigeria Police Force lost 201 rifles to terrorists, bandits and other armed groups between 2021 and mid-2026, according to a new report by SBM Intel’s Violence Tracker. 

The report, “Nigeria’s Stolen Rifles: Who Loses, Who Takes,” found that 282 rifles were stolen from security agents in 94 separate incidents nationwide. 

Police accounted for 201 of those rifles, or 71.3 percent of the total. The military lost 45 rifles, or 16 percent. Unspecified security agencies lost 15 rifles, or 5.3 percent. 

Other agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Customs Service, lost 12 rifles. Vigilante groups lost nine.

“Unknown gunmen” were identified as the main perpetrators, taking 168 rifles, or 59.6 percent. Bandits accounted for 58 rifles, or 20.6 percent, and Islamic State West Africa Province for 41 rifles, or 14.5 percent. 

The Indigenous People of Biafra was linked to nine stolen rifles. Kidnappers stole four, and Boko Haram two, the report said.

By state, Delta recorded the most losses with 67 rifles, followed by Abia with 51, Borno with 40, Zamfara with 20 and Katsina with 11. Delta and Abia alone accounted for 42 percent of all stolen rifles. 

The report said the pace of thefts accelerated in 2026.

Despite the losses, security agencies recovered 1,442 rifles in the same period, SBM Intel said. The group noted that the figure “suggests Nigeria’s proliferation of illegal weapons extends far beyond firearms stolen from security personnel.”

“Between 2021 and mid-2026, armed groups stole 282 rifles from Nigerian security forces across 94 incidents. Police lost 71 percent of these. Delta and Abia accounted for 42 percent of thefts, with the pace accelerating in 2026,” the report stated. “Yet the recoveries, 1,442, dwarf thefts. This is a sign that Nigeria’s illegal weapons problem goes far beyond stolen service rifles.”