The Senate on Thursday approved a combined budget of N404.07 billion for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF), endorsing the Fund’s 2025 and 2026 spending plans to strengthen policing, improve security operations and expand critical infrastructure across the country.
The approval covers N170.10 billion for the 2025 fiscal year and N233.96 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.
Lawmakers said the funds would help improve the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force as it continues to battle kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes affecting many parts of the country.
The approval followed the presentation of the report of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs by its Acting Chairman, Senator Yunus Akintunde (Oyo Central), who stood in for the committee chairman, Senator Abdulhamid Ahmed Mallam-Madori (Jigawa East).
Presenting the report on the 2025 budget proposal, Akintunde explained that the appropriation had previously been approved but could not be implemented because of legal challenges arising from proposed amendments to the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019.
According to him, the unresolved legal issues prevented the Fund from spending money that had already been appropriated by the National Assembly.
He said the budget was therefore being presented again for legislative approval as the 2025 appropriation.
“This budget proposal under consideration was previously approved for implementation under the 2024 fiscal period. However, owing to developments arising from the proposed amendment to the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019, and other circumstances beyond the control of the Fund, implementation of the approved budget could not commence.
“Consequently, the budget is being represented as the 2025 budget proposal for legislative consideration and approval,” Akintunde told the Senate.
After considering the committee’s recommendations, senators unanimously approved the N170.10 billion budget for 2025.
During the debate, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi (Bauchi Central) described the Police Trust Fund as one of the most important funding mechanisms created to support the Nigeria Police Force.
He lamented that the Fund had been unable to spend approved allocations for nearly three years because of the legal disputes surrounding its enabling law.
According to him, the situation had affected efforts to improve policing and provide the security agency with the equipment and facilities it needs to perform effectively.
“The Trust Fund is supposed to fill the funding gap, but for almost three years, because of legal issues, the Trust Fund has not been able to spend a kobo,” Ningi said.
He urged the management of the Fund to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of the approved money.
“We encourage the Fund to ensure that every kobo appropriated is properly utilised, and the National Assembly will track its implementation,” he added.
Following the approval of the 2025 budget, the Senate also considered the Police Trust Fund’s 2026 budget proposal amounting to N233.96 billion.
The proposal, presented on behalf of the committee by Senator Mallam-Madori, received the support of lawmakers after the committee explained that most of the allocation would be devoted to capital projects.
According to the report, more than 90 per cent of the 2026 budget is earmarked for capital expenditure, while less than 10 per cent will be spent on recurrent costs such as administration and routine expenses.
The spending pattern drew praise from several senators during the debate.
Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North) described the budget as an example that other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should emulate.
He said governments achieve greater value when they invest more in infrastructure and operational projects rather than spending most of their budgets on overheads.
“I am highly impressed by the fact that more than 90 per cent of the budget is devoted to capital expenditure, while the rest goes to recurrent expenditure. Other MDAs should take a cue from this because capital spending has greater potential to positively impact the operations of agencies,” Monguno said.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who presided over Thursday’s plenary, commended the committee for what he described as a comprehensive report.
He noted that the overwhelming support the report received reflected the Senate’s confidence in the importance of adequately funding the Nigeria Police Force.
Barau expressed hope that the approved funds would be used efficiently to strengthen security operations across the country.
“Your report is well put together and well articulated. The overwhelming support it received speaks for itself. We hope that this sum of money approved today will be utilised in a manner that will add more impetus to the Nigeria Police Force in fighting crime and addressing insecurity, especially kidnapping, banditry and terrorism,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Trust Fund was established under the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019, to provide additional and sustainable funding for the Nigeria Police Force.
The Fund was created to address the long-standing shortage of resources affecting the police by supporting the procurement of equipment, operational vehicles, communication gadgets, weapons, protective gear and other logistics needed for effective policing.
It also finances the construction and renovation of police stations, barracks and training institutions, while supporting the training and retraining of police personnel to improve professionalism and service delivery.
The Trust Fund is financed through various sources, including a percentage of the total revenue generated by the Federal Government, grants, donations and contributions from development partners and private organisations.
Over the years, inadequate funding has remained one of the biggest challenges facing the Nigeria Police Force.
The latest approval comes at a time when Nigeria continues to face serious security challenges, including kidnapping for ransom, terrorism, armed banditry, communal violence and attacks on rural communities.
Many stakeholders have argued that improving police funding is critical to enhancing intelligence gathering, crime prevention and rapid response to security threats.
The Senate’s approval of the two budgets is therefore expected to provide fresh resources for strengthening policing across the country.
Lawmakers also stressed the need for close monitoring of the implementation of the budgets to ensure that the funds are spent on projects that improve the operational efficiency of the police and enhance public safety.