The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has stated
that the Nigeria Police Force needed at least N1.13 trillion annually to
effectively execute its operations.
Idris made this remarks at a Public hearing on a Bill to
establish the Police Reform Trust Fund and a Bill to amend the Explosives Act
2004 in Abuja.
The hearing was organised by the House of Representatives
Committee on Police Affairs.
The police boss noted that the N560 billion recommended by
the MD Yusuf-led Police Reform Committee in 2008 was a far cry from the current
amount required.
“To fully appreciate the funding challenges of the Nigeria
Police Force, it will be appropriate to compare the MD Yusuf financial
estimates of 2008,” he said.
He explained that the force required an average of N26.9
billion annually for the maintenance and fuelling of its vehicles.
“Presently, the force has a fleet of 14, 306 vehicles
including 3,115 motorcycles nationwide,” he said.
He said that if the bill was passed into law, it would
largely address the funding challenges of the police.
“The bill will provide alternative source of funding for the
Nigeria Police Force for the training and retraining of personnel.
“To effectively investigate and prosecute offenders, we must
invest massively in the detective infrastructure and capacity of our
investigators,” he said.
“The fund once established should be sustained in the
interest of national security and not be time bound.
“The purpose of the fund is to provide alternative funding
for the police, but if it is subjected to too many bottlenecks, the objective
will be defeated,” he added.
By Ameh Comrade Godwin
