Bill To Enact Police Trust Fund Passes Second Reading In Senate

The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill seeking to repeal the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019 (as amended) and enact the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, 2026.

This followed the presentation of the general principles of the bill by the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, (Ekiti Central) during plenary.

Leading the debate, Bamidele said the proposed legislation aims to provide sustainable funding for the equipment, training, and welfare of the Nigeria Police Force, in response to rising security challenges across the country.

He noted that Nigeria is currently confronted with complex and evolving threats, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cybercrime, and communal unrest, all of which have placed enormous pressure on the police.

According to him, the police are constrained by inadequate funding, obsolete equipment, poor infrastructure, insufficient training, and welfare challenges that have continued to affect morale and operational efficiency.

Bamidele described the bill as a deliberate legislative intervention aimed at addressing systemic deficiencies in a sustainable and structured manner.

He explained that while the existing Trust Fund Act was commendable, implementation over the years had exposed gaps in governance structure, funding sustainability, project execution, and transparency frameworks.

He said the new bill seeks to establish a more robust, transparent, and accountable funding mechanism for the police, ensure predictable funding streams, enhance operational capacity and technology adoption, improve personnel welfare, and align policing with global standards.

The bill proposes funding sources including one per cent of Federation Account revenue, development levies under relevant tax laws, government grants at all levels, international and donor support, as well as private sector contributions and endowments.

Bamidele added that the diversified funding structure would reduce over-reliance on annual budgetary allocations and ensure sustained financing for priority security interventions such as modern equipment acquisition, digital surveillance systems, forensic technology, rehabilitation of police facilities, capacity building, intelligence operations, and emergency response.

He further stressed that the fund would also improve welfare packages for officers and strengthen training institutions nationwide.

Seconding the motion, Senator Abba Moro (Benue South) said the bill was timely and necessary, noting that inadequate funding remains a major challenge to effective policing in Nigeria. He urged lawmakers to ensure adequate provisions for the Trust Fund.

Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) described the bill as a “massive boost” to Nigeria’s security architecture, stressing that it must not be treated as routine legislation but implemented with strict accountability.

Senator Adamu Alero (Kebbi Central), however, cautioned on constitutional concerns regarding deductions from the Federation Account, urging consultation with state and local governments to avoid legal disputes.

He stressed that the National Assembly must ensure full compliance with constitutional provisions governing revenue sharing.

Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North), citing Section 80(2), argued that the bill is constitutional, stating that the National Assembly has the power to pass an Act charging expenditure to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

The Senate President, however, responded that Section 81 requires such funding to be captured in the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure, rather than as a standalone deduction.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured lawmakers that the Senate would not pass any law inconsistent with the Constitution.

He said constitutional compliance and accountability would remain central to the legislative process.

Akpabio noted that the bill would undergo further scrutiny at a public hearing, where stakeholders would address contentious issues, particularly funding structure and implementation mechanisms.

He subsequently referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, which is expected to report back within two weeks.