Nigeria’s Senate has advanced a significant legislative effort aimed at overhauling the funding mechanism for the nation's police force. A bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2025 (SB.1031) has successfully passed its second reading during a recent plenary session, following a majority voice vote. Sponsored as an executive bill by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the proposed legislation is now with the Senate Committees on Police for further legislative action, including a public hearing and a report back within two weeks.

The core objective of this new bill is to establish multiple and more sustainable funding sources for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), thereby ensuring its operational independence and enhancing its capacity to address the nation's growing security challenges. Key among the proposed funding streams is an increase in allocation from the Federation Account, moving from the current 0.5% to 1% of total revenue. Additional 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 contributions and endowments from the private sector.

The original Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) was established in 2019 through the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, intended as a special intervention to combat the chronic underfunding of the NPF. This fund was initially designed to operate for six years, primarily supported by 0.5% of the Federation Account’s total revenue, alongside grants and donations. Its creation was a direct response to widespread criticism regarding the poor state of policing in Nigeria, characterized by inadequate personnel, outdated equipment, poor welfare packages, weak investigative capabilities, and insufficient operational logistics. Security experts have consistently linked these issues to the police force's limited effectiveness in tackling prevalent insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and cybercrime.

Since its inception, the NPTF has facilitated the procurement of essential resources such as patrol vehicles, communication equipment, and security infrastructure, alongside funding training programmes and the rehabilitation of police barracks. However, concerns have persisted regarding the adequacy of its funding structure to meet the escalating security demands of Africa's most populous nation. Nigeria’s police-to-population ratio, approximately 300,000 officers for over 200 million people, falls significantly short of the United Nations-recommended standard of one police officer per 400 citizens, highlighting the urgent need for expanded and sustainable funding.

In his presentation of the bill, Senator Bamidele underscored Nigeria’s pervasive insecurity, citing insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cybercrime, and communal unrest as major threats that have placed immense pressure on the police. He emphasized that the force is severely hampered by inadequate funding, obsolete equipment, dilapidated infrastructure, and insufficient training and welfare, all of which adversely affect morale and effectiveness. The bill, therefore, aims to establish a stronger, more transparent, and accountable NPTF, ensuring predictable and sustainable funding while enhancing the operational and technological capacity of the police, improving personnel welfare and professionalism, and supporting modern policing strategies in line with global standards.

The proposed legislation outlines prioritized areas for intervention, including the acquisition of modern security equipment and operational tools, deployment of digital surveillance and forensic technology, construction and rehabilitation of police stations and facilities, and strengthening of training institutions and capacity building programmes. If enacted, it is expected to enhance intelligence gathering, improve operational efficiency, provide for effective emergency response during internal security crises, and significantly upgrade welfare packages for officers. The bill also calls for a robust governance and institutional framework for the trust fund, to be overseen by a governing board comprising key stakeholders, including a retired senior police officer as chairman, and representatives from relevant ministries (Police Affairs, Justice, Finance), the police hierarchy, and the organized private sector.

During the Senate debate, many senators voiced their support for the bill. Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro highlighted the critical lack of modern equipment needed to combat kidnapping, stating that the original trust fund was established to address precisely this funding problem. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin also backed the bill, asserting its vital importance to national security and constitutional order, noting that the police serve the entire federation. However, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo raised concerns that the proposed 1% deduction from the Federation Account could face legal challenges, referencing past disputes with state governors over similar funding structures. He also questioned how the new federal police funding framework would align with ongoing discussions regarding the creation of state police. Senator Buhari Abdulfatai added that the police's main challenge extends beyond just funding to include insufficient operational tools and support, reiterating the severe inadequacy of the current officer-to-population ratio.

Responding to these concerns, Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured that the upcoming public hearing would thoroughly address issues such as accountability for past Police Trust Fund expenditures, alternative funding options, and the framework’s potential to accommodate future state policing structures. He also directed the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, chaired by Sen. Ahmed Mallam-Madori, to provide a report on how past trust fund allocations were utilized, before reporting back to the plenary in two weeks. The bill, if passed, holds the potential to significantly reshape Nigeria’s policing architecture by providing a more predictable, diversified, and robust financial framework for law enforcement, while also necessitating crucial discussions on accountability, transparency, and long-term security governance.