SENATE APPROVES N403.1BN POLICE TRUST FUND BUDGET, TINUBU PROPOSES NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE LAW

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Agency Report

The Senate has approved a total of ₦403.1 billion for the Nigerian Police Trust Fund for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years as part of efforts to strengthen policing and enhance the country’s response to terrorism, kidnapping and other security challenges.

The upper chamber approved ₦170.1 billion for the Police Trust Fund’s 2025 budget and ₦233 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.

The approved 2026 budget provides for personnel costs, capital projects and overhead expenditures aimed at improving the operational capacity of the Nigeria Police Force.

Lawmakers expressed optimism that the funding would enhance the provision of critical equipment, infrastructure, training and other resources required to strengthen security operations and address the country’s growing security challenges.

The approval comes amid increasing concerns over insecurity across Nigeria, with renewed calls for improved funding and support for security agencies.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a bill to the Senate seeking to overhaul Nigeria’s criminal justice system through the repeal and reenactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).

The proposed legislation seeks to replace the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, with a new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, to address procedural gaps and improve the administration of justice.

A major feature of the bill is the establishment of a Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to oversee the implementation of the law in courts within the Federal Capital Territory and other federal courts nationwide.

In a communication read during plenary, President Tinubu said the proposed legislation is intended to eliminate long-standing challenges that have slowed the dispensation of criminal justice in the country.

According to the President, the bill also aims to modernise Nigeria’s criminal justice system by promoting the use of technology, introducing innovative reforms and strengthening the implementation of the law by relevant institutions.

The proposed legislation has been referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for legislative consideration.