The Nigeria Police Trust Fund has asked the Senate to raise its statutory allocation from 0.5 percent to one percent to enhance police operations and modernise law enforcement in the face of rising insecurity across the country. The request was made on Tuesday during a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs on a bill seeking to repeal the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act of 2019 and enact a new Act in 2026.
The Executive Secretary of the Fund, Mohammed Sheidu, told the hearing in Abuja that the proposal had already received approval from the National Police Council, which is chaired by President Bola Tinubu. He noted that council members, including governors, the FCT minister, the Police Service Commission chairman, and the Inspector General of Police, agreed that sustainable funding is essential to tackle kidnapping, terrorism, cybercrime, and other security threats.
Sheidu said the additional funding would support the deployment of modern surveillance systems, drones, forensic laboratories, command and control centres, and other digital policing tools, adding that these are no longer optional investments but necessities for effective policing in the 21st century. He also urged lawmakers to remove the sunset clause in the existing law, arguing that long term funding would provide stability for strategic projects and attract support from development partners and the private sector.
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Meanwhile, a representative of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice said the ministry had reviewed the bill and found it consistent with the Constitution and the Federal Government’s security reform agenda, endorsing the proposed legislation as a framework that would strengthen the operational capacity and welfare of the Nigeria Police Force.
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