Di Nigerian Senate don approve di sum of N403.1 billion for di Police Trust Fund budget for 2025 and 2026 fiscal years. Dis approval na to strengthen policing and support di fight against terrorism, kidnapping, and oda security challenges across di kontri.
Di approved budget include N170.1 billion for di 2025 fiscal year and N233 billion for di 2026 fiscal year. Di 2026 budget go cover personnel costs, capital projects, and overhead expenditures wey dem aim to enhance di operational capacity of di Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Lawmakers express optimism say dis funding go improve di provision of critical equipment, infrastructure, training, and oda resources wey dey needed to bolster security operations and address di kontri’s growing security concerns. Di move come amid rising spate of crime across Nigeria, with citizens calling for authorities to tighten security for di nation.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu don transmit a legislative proposal to di Senate wey dey seek to reform di kontri’s criminal justice system through di repeal and reenactment of di Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). Di proposed legislation seek to repeal di Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and replace am with di Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen di kontri’s criminal justice framework.
A key provision of di bill na di establishment of a criminal justice monitoring council to oversee di implementation of di law for courts inside di FCT and oda federal courts across di kontri. For a communication to di Senate during plenary, President Tinubu tok say di proposed legislation na to address procedural gaps and long-standing challenges wey don hinder di speedy dispensation of justice.
According to di President, di bill also seek to align Nigeria’s criminal justice system wit emerging developments by promoting di use of technology, introducing innovative measures, and enhancing di effective implementation of di law by relevant institutions. Di proposed legislation go undergo legislative consideration by di Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters.
President Tinubu also send two executive bills to di House of Representatives for consideration, including proposals to strengthen senior secondary education administration and reform Nigeria’s criminal justice system, while withholding assent to two amendment bills passed by di National Assembly. Di President’s letters dem read during Wednesday’s plenary by di Speaker of di House, Tajudeen Abbas.
Di first executive bill, wey dem title di National Senior Secondary Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seek to strengthen di administration and governance of public senior secondary education across di kontri. For im letter, President Tinubu tok say di bill na approved by di Federal Executive Council (FEC) on April 30, 2026, and subsequently vetted by di Federal Ministry of Justice in line wit constitutional and legislative drafting standards.
Di President also transmit di Administration of Criminal Justice Bill, 2026, wey dey seek to repeal di existing Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, and replace am wit a new legal framework wey aim to address procedural, legal, and institutional challenges for di kontri’s criminal justice system. According to Tinubu, di proposed legislation na to improve di administration of criminal justice, enhance di efficiency of justice institutions, accelerate di dispensation of justice, protect society from crime, and safeguard di rights of suspects, defendants, and victims.
Di President explain say di new law go apply to di Federal Capital Territory and oda federal courts while strengthening di Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council. Di bill address persistent challenges under di 2015 Act, including delays for criminal investigations and prosecutions, inadequate deployment of technology for criminal proceedings, weak coordination among justice sector institutions, ineffective case management, and poor compliance monitoring.
Among di key reforms wey dem propose na di abolition of trial-within-trial proceedings for confessional statements through new admissibility procedures, di establishment of a National Sex Offenders Register wey di Office of di Attorney-General of di Federation go maintain, di creation of a Witness Support Fund for di prompt payment of witness expenses, and di introduction of plea forms to simplify arraignment procedures.
Oda proposed reforms include mandatory timelines for courts to determine no-case submissions, wider use of written witness depositions to accelerate trials, enhanced judicial case management, restructuring of di Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to broaden stakeholder representation, di appointment of an Executive Secretary for di council, powers for di Attorney-General to issue implementation regulations, and measures to prevent retrials wey dey result from di death, retirement, or transfer of judges.
Meanwhile, di President decline assent to di Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill, 2026, citing constitutional and legal concerns over some of im provisions. Im note say while many of di proposed amendments na commendable, certain clauses dey seek to confer regulatory powers on di institute over private organisations and incorporated entities beyond im statutory mandate.
According to di President, provisions wey dey require organisations to report procurement appointments to di institute, impose penalties on employers wey appoint non-members to head procurement units, compel organisations to notify di institute of staff removals, empower di institute to institute legal proceedings against non-members, and authorise inspection visits to companies amount to unreasonable restrictions. Tinubu maintain say di institute no be di statutory regulator of procurement practice for Nigeria and therefore lack di authority to impose such obligations on independent organisations.
Di President advise di National Assembly to review di identified provisions and retransmit di bill for assent. Di President also withhold assent to di Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026, citing structural inconsistencies and drafting defects. According to im letter, di bill fail to adequately reflect im principal objectives for im long title and contain drafting errors wey dem suppose correct before e fit receive presidential approval.
