…Stakeholders call for 10 year jail term for misappropriation of fund
The Nigeria Police Force needs 1.13trillion annually to function effectively, it was learnt Tuesday.
This figure excludes major capital projects like arms and ammunition, purchase of new vehicles, and other technological needs of the Force.
Giving a breakdown of some financial needs of the Force, the Force leadership also noted that N26.9billion is needed to fuel and maintain 14,306 police vehicles and motorcycles.
N14.5billion is also needed annually to provide adequate and appropriate items of uniforms and accoutrements for personnel of the Force.
It is also estimated that N700billion is needed to rehabilitate existing barracks, police stations and to build new ones.
For the Force to also do proper investigation and prosecution of law offenders, over N200billion is required.
This was disclosed in Abuja Tuesday by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris at the public hearing on a bill for an Act to Establish the Nigeria Police Reform Trust Fund and for other Related Matters.
The IG noted that poor funding has negatively affected the turnout of Police personnel across the country.
Ibrahim said: “What is required to run the Force excluding major capital projects like arms and ammunition, purchase of new vehicles, gun boats, helicopters and other technological needs of the Police is conservatively put at N14.132,532,142,242.”
Giving reasons for the immediate passage of the Police Reform Trust Fund bill, the IGP said: “In 2017 budget only N36.1billion was allocated to the Police for both capital and overhead costs to run the Police.
“This is a far cry from the 1.13trillion conservatively estimated. This difference is alarming and has sounded the loud trumpet that the regular budgetary allocation to run the Police is sharply inadequate and requires urgent measure to address, if the Force must be effective and responsive to the security needs of Nigerians in a complex and dynamic policing space.
“The Police Trust Fund is the answer because it would provide alternative and regular funding for the police.
“The urge for the economic development of Nigeria is only possible if the security challenges are resolved. To have security in Nigeria, the Police which is the foremost security agency must be funded and to fund the Police, the Police Trust Fund is the desired solution.”
Decrying the budgetary allocation of the Force, he said: “What is most worrisome is that though the budgetary allocations on paper are insufficient to meet the financial needs of the Force, the actual releases are far below what is budgeted. In the 2016 budget, less that 30percent of the allocation was released to the police.
“As at date, the Force has fleet of 14,306 vehicles including 3,115 motorcycles nationwide and the total average annual fueling and maintenance costs of Police vehicles is N26, 948,471,000.00.
“The basic requirement to provide adequate and appropriate items of kits for police personnel annually is N14, 583,671,264 as against the sum of N1, 752,500,000 earmarked in the 2017 appropriation. This limitation negatively affects the turnout of Police personnel”.
On investigation capacities of the Force, Ibrahim said: “to effectively investigate and prosecute law offenders, we must invest massively in the Detective infrastructure and capacity of our investigators.
“There is also need to install CCTV cameras, establish data base and provide video cameras in all police stations across the country as required by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, build functional crime laboratories and other investigative aids. These will cost N200billion if the police must make progress in the area of investigation and prosecution.”, he noted
The bill if passed into law would be channeled into providing communication and information technology infrastructure, patrol and operational vehicles and other facilities, provision of full complement of arms and ammunition, riot control equipment, protective gear and, armoury and firing range, clothing and accoutrement, rehabilitation and construction of Police offices and stations, personnel welfare, amongst others.
The IGP who objected the six year life span of fund suggested that the fund be sustained after its establishment.
According to him: “Restricting the Police Trust Fund to a period of six years as provided in Section 2 (2) of the Bill is not in the best interest of the Force and the public.
“Issues of security and its challenges are not time bound or tied to any political dispensation. The fund once established should be sustained in the interest of National security and not to be time bound.”
Also speaking, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara stated that the passage of the bill would improve welfare of the personnel which would in turn boost them in the discharge of their duties
He said: “Adequate funding is critical for police to function and the annual budgetary allocation is inadequate considering various crimes confronting the country.
“Nigerians are presently disappointed in the Police we have in this country now and it is because of poor funding but with the passage of this bill, adequate funds would be provided and the Police would function effectively.”
On his part, the Chairman House Committee on Police Affairs, Haliru Jika while supporting the bill also noted that the current structure of allocation would not give Nigerians the desired Police Force.
Jika said: “The current structure would hardly help in giving us the kind of Police we need. The Force is presently overstretched and they are saddled with so many responsibilities with little funding.
“Every attempt at overcoming corruption in the Force would be a wide goose chase if the bill is not passed.”
He also expressed optimism that the bill would be approved by the House before it goes on break
Also speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gabriel Olonisakin while supporting the passage of the bill suggested that a ten year jail term for whoever misappropriates the fund.
Olonisakin who was represented by Air Vice Marshal, Ibrahim Shafi said: “We are all together with the Police on the issue of its trust fund but we are of the opinion that whoever misappropriates the fund to be accrued from the Police Trust Fund be penalised.
“Based on past experience, we suggest that the National Assembly considers and penalize any police personnel or anybody who misappropriates the fund.
“Anybody that misappropriates the fund should go for at least ten years imprisonment without an option of fine.”
