The Senate has advanced legislation that would allocate one per cent of total revenue accruing to the Federation Account to the Nigeria Police Force, a significant expansion of the existing funding architecture for law enforcement. The bill, which seeks to repeal and re‑enact the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, passed second reading during Tuesday’s plenary and was referred to the Senate Committees on Police for further legislative action, including a public hearing.
Presenting the bill, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele highlighted the mounting security challenges facing the country, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and cybercrime, all of which have placed enormous pressure on the police. The proposed legislation would replace the current 0.5 per cent allocation from the Federation Account with a one per cent levy, alongside other funding sources such as development levies, grants, donations, and private sector contributions. Bamidele argued that inadequate funding, obsolete equipment, poor infrastructure and insufficient training have severely hampered the force’s operational effectiveness.
Nigeria’s police‑to‑population ratio remains far below the United Nations recommended standard of one officer per 400 citizens. With roughly 300,000 officers serving more than 200 million people, the gap is stark. The original Police Trust Fund, established in 2019, has financed the procurement of patrol vehicles, communication equipment, security infrastructure, training programmes and the rehabilitation of barracks. Yet concerns have persisted that the funding structure remains insufficient to meet the country’s rising security demands.
From a fiscal perspective, the proposed increase from 0.5 per cent to one per cent of Federation Account revenue represents a substantial commitment. In a period of fiscal consolidation, lawmakers will need to weigh the urgency of better‑funded security against competing demands for education, health and infrastructure. The bill also raises important questions about accountability and transparency in the deployment of police funds. While expanded resources are necessary, they are not sufficient; governance mechanisms must ensure that additional allocations translate into measurable improvements in crime prevention, response times and public trust.
