Senate considers expanding police funding sources, passes re-enactment trust bill for second reading

The proposed legislation seeks to allocate one per cent of total revenue accruing to the Federation Account to the police.

A bill seeking to repeal and re-enact Nigeria’s Police Trust Fund Act to establish multiple funding sources for the Nigeria Police Force has passed second reading in the Senate.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage during Tuesday’s plenary after a majority of senators supported it through a voice vote.

Following its passage, the bill was referred to the Senate Committees on Police for further legislative action, including conducting a public hearing and r reporting back in two weeks.

The bill, titled Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2025 (SB.1031), is an executive bill sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central).

The proposed legislation, which seeks to allocate 1% of total revenue accruing to the Federation Account to the police, aims to ensure the force’s operational independence.

Other proposed funding sources include development levies under relevant tax laws; grants and interventions from federal, state, and local governments; donations and international support from bilateral and multilateral partners; and private sector contributions and endowments.

Nigeria established the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) through the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act of 2019 as a special intervention mechanism to address chronic underfunding of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The fund was originally designed to operate for six years, drawing financial support primarily from 0.5 per cent of total revenue accruing to the Federation Account, alongside grants, donations and other support

The creation of the fund followed years of widespread criticism over the poor state of policing in Nigeria, including inadequate personnel strength, outdated equipment, poor welfare packages, weak investigative capacity and insufficient operational logistics.

Security experts have consistently argued that these challenges have contributed to the force’s limited ability to tackle rising insecurity such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and cybercrime.

Since its establishment, the Fund has financed the procurement of patrol vehicles, communication equipment, security infrastructure, training programmes, and the rehabilitation of barracks. However, concerns have persisted over whether the funding structure is sufficient to meet the increasing security demands of Africa’s most populous country.

Nigeria’s police-to-population ratio remains significantly below the United Nations-recommended standard of one police officer per 400 citizens. With roughly 300,000 officers serving more than 200 million people, lawmakers and security analysts have repeatedly stressed the need for expanded and sustainable funding mechanisms.

If passed, the bill could significantly reshape Nigeria’s policing architecture by providing a more predictable and diversified financial framework for law enforcement, while also raising important questions about accountability, transparency and long-term security governance.

Presentation of the bill

Presenting the bill, Mr Bamidele highlighted Nigeria’s increasing insecurity challenges, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cybercrime and communal unrest.

He said these security threats have placed enormous pressure on the police force, making urgent reforms necessary.

Mr Bamidele also identified inadequate funding, obsolete equipment, poor infrastructure, insufficient training and welfare challenges as major factors undermining police effectiveness and morale.

“It is evident that the police force is constrained by inadequate funding, obsolete equipment, poor infrastructure, insufficient training and welfare challenges affecting morale,” he said.

Objectives of the bill

Mr Bamidele said the bill aims to establish a stronger, more transparent and accountable Nigeria Police Trust Fund while ensuring predictable and sustainable funding.

According to him, the legislation also seeks to enhance the operational and technological capacity of the police, improve personnel welfare, motivation, and professionalism, and support modern policing strategies in line with global standards.

Debate

Many senators who contributed to the debate supported the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro said police formations across the country lack the modern equipment needed to combat kidnapping effectively.

“You will recall that this is one of the problems associated with policing in Nigeria, which necessitated the passage of the Police Trust Fund. I think it has come to confront the problem of funding confronting security agencies, especially the police

“When you report cases of abduction, they will tell you they cannot go because the abductors have superior firearms,” the minority leader said, justifying his support for the proposed legislation.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin also backed the bill, stressing its importance to national security and constitutional order.

“The Nigeria Police is for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is not only serving the federal government, but also the entire federation. What the bill is talking about is in tandem with our Constitution. There is no better time to pass the bill than now,” Mr Jibrin said.

However, Gombe North Senator, Ibrahim Dankwambo, warned that the proposed 1% deduction from the Federation Account could face legal challenges, noting that state governors had previously challenged a similar funding structure.

He also raised concerns about how the proposed federal police funding framework would align with ongoing discussions on the creation of state police.

Oyo North Senator, Buhari Abdulfatai, argued that the police’s main challenge was not solely inadequate funding, but also insufficient operational tools and support.

He noted that Nigeria currently has about 300,000 police officers serving a population of over 200 million, which he described as grossly inadequate by global standards.

Responding to concerns, Mr Akpabio said the public hearing would address issues surrounding accountability for previous Police Trust Fund expenditures, alternative funding options and whether the new framework could accommodate future state policing structures.