By Okechukwu Nwanguma
In May 2025, the Nigerian Senate quietly approved a staggering ₦124.4 billion as the 2024 budget for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF)—the highest allocation in the Fund’s short, turbulent history.
This figure marks more than a 100% increase from its 2023 allocation of ₦57 billion. Yet the circumstances surrounding this approval raise far more questions than answers.
This budget approval was done retroactively, well into the financial year it supposedly serves. Even more astonishing is that the Senate had to suspend its own rules to expedite the passage of the bill, citing the “laudable achievements” of the Fund.
But these so-called achievements remain largely unknown to the public. What is widely known, however, is the unresolved cloud of corruption and misappropriation allegations that have surrounded the Fund’s management.
In 2022, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) invited both the Chairman and Executive Secretary of the Fund for questioning over allegations of mismanagement. To date, the Commission has not publicly disclosed the outcome of its investigation. This lack of transparency only deepens public suspicion and undermines trust in the very institutions meant to ensure accountability.
*A Good Idea Undermined by Bad Governance*
Established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2019, the NPTF was a bold policy intervention aimed at addressing chronic underfunding of the Nigeria Police Force. It was meant to provide a dedicated stream of funding for critical needs—training, equipment, infrastructure, and welfare. But like many well-intentioned reforms in Nigeria, the NPTF has fallen victim to structural conflicts of interest, poor oversight, and weak political will.
From inception, civil society raised red flags: the same institution meant to benefit from the Fund—the Nigeria Police—was given undue influence in its administration. Without robust independent oversight, the Fund was structurally vulnerable to abuse. Comparisons were made to the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, which adopts a public-private partnership model and has been widely regarded as more transparent and effective. Unfortunately, those warnings were ignored.
While the NPTF leadership boasts of numerous training programmes and vehicle procurements, the lived realities of most police officers and the communities they serve tell a different story. Barracks remain dilapidated. Officers still buy their own uniforms. Checkpoint extortion persists. If the Fund has made any meaningful impact, it is largely invisible to the public.
*Retroactive Budgeting and Legal Violations*
The late approval of the 2024 NPTF budget is not merely an administrative lapse—it represents a fundamental governance failure. How could the Fund have operated for months without a formal budget? What expenditures were made in the interim, and on what authority? This disregard for timely appropriation reflects the Nigerian state’s entrenched culture of impunity, where processes are routinely bent for convenience.
Even more troubling is the flagrant disregard for judicial authority. In Attorney General of Rivers State v. Attorney General of the Federation (2022), the Federal High Court ruled that deductions from the Federation Account to finance the NPTF were unconstitutional, violating Section 162(3) of the 1999 Constitution. Yet the Senate-approved 2023 budget—and likely the 2024 version—continued to include such deductions: 0.5% of revenue from the Federation Account and 0.005% of companies’ net profits. This is not just a violation of the Constitution—it is a defiance of judicial authority.
So far, no corrective measures have been taken, and no explanation has been offered to the Nigerian people. Has the NPTF continued to receive funds in defiance of the court ruling? If so, what does this say about the rule of law in Nigeria?
Expiry of the Trust Fund: A Looming Legal Crisis
Another issue that has received little public attention is the statutory lifespan of the NPTF. According to Section 2(2) of the NPTF (Establishment) Act, the Fund is to operate for six years from June 24, 2019, meaning it is due to expire on June 24, 2025. Section 28 provides for a six-month winding-up period, during which remaining assets and liabilities should be transferred to the Nigeria Police Force.
To date, there has been no publicly disclosed Act of the National Assembly extending the Fund’s duration. Yet, the recent budget passage and ongoing activities of the Fund suggest business as usual. This raises serious legal concerns: Is the NPTF still operating lawfully? What becomes of expenditures made after June 2025, if no formal extension is legislated?
This situation mirrors a broader culture of institutional lawlessness in Nigeria—where agencies operate beyond their legal bounds, and oversight institutions either look away or are complicit.
*A System that Breaks Itself*
The tragic irony is that an institution designed to strengthen law enforcement is now widely seen as undermining legality, transparency, and public trust. If Nigeria is to move beyond symbolic reforms, then agencies like the NPTF must serve not just as funding conduits, but as models of legality, good governance, and accountability.
That includes respecting court rulings. It includes publishing audit reports. It includes legislative compliance with budget timelines. It includes public transparency about the extension—or lawful expiration—of the Fund.
A broken system cannot fix itself. And a broken process cannot fix a broken system. Until Nigeria begins to take its laws seriously—until institutions like the NPTF stop operating in legal limbo—no amount of funding will fix the foundational rot.
– Okechukwu Nwanguma is the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC). He works on police reform, public accountability, and human rights in Nigeria.
