Senate Passes Police Trust Fund amendment Bill to increase duration
By Tunde Opalana
The Senate on Tuesday expeditiously passed a bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act No 6 of 2019.
The bill meant to increase the duration of the Trust Fund from six to twelve years for continued training, provision of security equipment and related facilities, enhance the skills of personnel of the Nigeria Police.
The bill was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central was presented freshly during yesterday’s sitting but passed second and third reading same day.
To do this, the Senate Leader came under rule 78( 1) to suspend the Senate rules and was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, PDP, Benue South.
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It is titled, ” A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act No. 6 of 2019 to increase the duration of the Trust Fund from 6 to 12 years for continued training, provision of security equipment, and related facilities, enhance the skills of the personnel of the Nigerian Police; and for other related matters, 2025 (SB. 845).
Lead the debate, Bamidele said, “is my utmost pleasure to lead the debate on the general principles of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act (Amendment) Bill. 2025 (SB. 845). The Bill was read for the First Time, today, Tuesday, 24th June, 2025.
“The Bill seeks to amend the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, to increase the duration of the Trust Fund, to among other things, provide for continued training, provision of equipment and related facilities as well as enhance the skills of personnel of the Nigeria Police. The overriding objective of the Bill, basically, is to amend section 2 (2) of the extant Act to increase the duration of the Trust Fund, as established by the Act.
“The Act was enacted in 2019. However, the Act became operational in 2022. The provision of section 2 (2) of the principal Act, which established the Trust Fund, provides its operatioral scope for a duration of six (6) years, which will expire at the end of this month. As such, there is the urgent need to expedite action on the passage of this Bill in accordance with the aforesaid provision, which provides that “……..upon expiration, the Fund would seize to exist, unless it is extended by an Act of the National Assembly.”
” It is imperative to state that over the last few years after the Fund was established, a lot has been achieved in the following areas: Equipment and logistics; Training and Capacity Development; Infrastructure (Rehabilitation and Expansion); and Health and Welfare Initiatives, etc.
“Therefore, it is imperative that the duration of the Trust Fund is further extended, in view of its laudable achievements to ensure that the Nigeria police is well equipped to face emerging security challenges, bedeviling the country. Accordingly, I urge you all to support the expeditious passage of this Bill because of its far-reaching importance.”
