Senate Approves N403bn Police Trust Fund Budgets to Strengthen Security

The Senate on Thursday approved a combined budget of N403.1 billion for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, in a move aimed at strengthening the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force and improving security across the country.

The approved appropriation comprises N170.10 billion for the 2025 fiscal year and N233.96 billion for 2026.

The approval followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, presented by the committee’s Vice Chairman, Senator Yunus Akintunde (APC, Oyo Central), on behalf of its Chairman, Senator Abdulhamid Mallam Madori (APC, Jigawa East).

Presenting the report, Akintunde said the committee was satisfied that the proposed budgets would provide the resources required for the Trust Fund to effectively discharge its statutory mandate of supporting the Nigeria Police Force through critical interventions.

According to him, the funds will finance the procurement of operational vehicles and security equipment, rehabilitation of police barracks and stations, training and retraining of personnel, as well as other programmes designed to enhance policing nationwide.

A breakdown of the 2026 budget shows that N43.78 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure, while N179.11 billion was allocated to the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters and the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Headquarters, bringing total capital spending for the year to N222.89 billion.

The recurrent expenditure for 2026 consists of N1.86 billion for personnel costs and N9.21 billion for overheads, amounting to N11.07 billion.

The Senate said funding for the 2026 budget would come from statutory sources, including 0.5 per cent of revenue accruing to the Federation Account, 0.5 per cent of Value Added Tax (VAT), 0.05 per cent of the net profits of companies operating in Nigeria, as well as grants, donations and other legitimate sources.

For the 2025 fiscal year, the lawmakers approved N159.74 billion for capital projects, comprising N27.29 billion for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Headquarters and N132.45 billion for the Nigeria Police Force.

The recurrent allocation for 2025 includes N1.82 billion for personnel costs and N8.54 billion for overheads, bringing the total recurrent expenditure to N10.36 billion.

The committee explained that funding for the 2025 budget would also be derived from statutory allocations, VAT receipts, contributions from the net profits of companies operating in the country, grants, donations and other approved sources.

Akintunde urged the Police Trust Fund to ensure that the approved allocations translate into tangible improvements in operational efficiency by giving priority to personnel welfare, capacity building, modern policing infrastructure and other critical intervention projects.

He also called for stronger monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to guarantee transparency, value for money and the timely execution of projects.

The Senate further directed the prompt implementation of the approved budgets, expressing confidence that the intervention would enhance the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force and bolster efforts to tackle the country’s growing security challenges.