A New Blueprint for Policing: Senate Pushes Bold Reform of Police Trust Fund
By Matthew Eloyi
Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with insecurity once again took centre stage at the National Assembly on Tuesday as the Senate moved to rework the legal and financial framework supporting the Nigeria Police Force.
At plenary, lawmakers passed for second reading a bill seeking to repeal the Nigerian Police Trust Fund Establishment Act, 2019 (as amended) and replace it with the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Bill, 2026, a fresh attempt to address what many described as deep-rooted funding and operational challenges within the country’s policing system.
Leading the debate, Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele (APC–Ekiti), painted a stark picture of the security environment confronting the nation and the strain it has placed on law enforcement.
“The nation was confronted with complex and evolving security threats ranging from insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, robbery, cybercrime and communal unrest,” he said.
According to him, these overlapping threats have stretched the Nigeria Police Force thin, exposing long-standing structural weaknesses that go beyond manpower alone.
He told lawmakers that inadequate funding, outdated equipment, weak infrastructure, and poor welfare conditions have continued to undermine the effectiveness and morale of officers.
Against this backdrop, Bamidele described the bill as a deliberate attempt to overhaul the existing trust fund structure and create a more efficient and accountable system for supporting the police.
While acknowledging that the 2019 law was well-intentioned, he argued that experience had revealed critical gaps in its implementation.
He listed them as “funding sustainability gaps, project execution mechanisms, transparency, and accountability frameworks.”
The new proposal, he said, is designed to correct those shortcomings by introducing stronger governance structures and aligning Nigeria’s policing support system with global best practices.
“It will ensure predictable and sustainable funding streams and enhance the operational capacity and technological capability of the police,” he said.
“It will improve the welfare motivation and professionalism of personnel, supporting modern policing strategies in line with global standards,” Bamidele said.
Under the proposed framework, funding would come from multiple sources, including one per cent of total revenue from the Federation Account, development levies under tax laws, government contributions at all levels, international assistance, and private sector donations.
“Donations and international supports from bilateral and multilateral partners, private sector contributions and endowments are other sources.”
Bamidele argued that this diversified model would reduce the country’s heavy reliance on annual budget allocations and ensure more stable financing for critical police operations.
He explained that the funds would be directed toward modern equipment, forensic and digital surveillance systems, rehabilitation of police facilities, training and capacity building, intelligence operations, emergency response, and improved welfare for officers.
For many senators, the proposal struck at the heart of Nigeria’s security dilemma.
Sen. Abba Moro (PDP–Benue), who seconded the motion, said the reform was long overdue, given the scale of insecurity in the country.
He pointed to chronic underfunding as a major obstacle to effective policing and insisted that the system must be strengthened urgently.
Sen. Abdul Ningi (PDP–Bauchi) also threw his weight behind the bill, describing it as a “massive boost” to national security architecture.
However, he warned against poor implementation, stressing that accountability must not be compromised.
“Mr President, when you look at number four on the submission of the Senate leader, one per cent of total revenue accruing to the Federation Account, that’s really huge.”
From the opposition benches, Sen. Adamu Alero (APC–Kebbi) welcomed the inclusion of the private sector in the proposed governance structure of the fund but raised a red flag over possible constitutional conflicts.
He urged lawmakers to secure buy-in from subnational governments to avoid legal disputes.
“Before we do this, we have to get the buy-in of the local governments and the state governments.
“If you could recall even the half per cent that we approve here in the National Assembly, Governors challenged it; it took time, before the governors withdrew that suit because they said the deduction is unconstitutional.
“And it is quite clear, section 180 of the Constitution of 1999 as amended states that whatever goes into federation account is supposed to be shared based on existing allocation formula approved by the National Assembly.
“And the beneficiaries of the Federation Account are federal government, state governments and local governments.
“No agency of federal government will partake in sharing of the allocation in federation account.
“We cannot make law contrary to the provisions of the constitution, I, therefore, want us to be very cautious,”Alero said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his closing remarks, reassured lawmakers that constitutional compliance would remain central to the legislative process.
He emphasised that the bill would undergo thorough public scrutiny before final passage.
The bill was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs for further legislative work, with a directive to report back within two weeks, setting the stage for another round of scrutiny on one of the country’s most critical security reform proposals.
