A heated exchange broke out at the National Assembly on Thursday during the 2025 budget defence session as the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, presented the Nigeria Police Force’s budget.
The session grew contentious when two lawmakers raised concerns that the IGP’s presentation did not align with the budget documents provided to the committee. Attempts by the committee chairman to allow the IGP to continue while the discrepancies were addressed were met with resistance, resulting in a shouting match. The situation escalated further, prompting a senator to walk out in protest.
Calm was eventually restored, and the IGP resumed his presentation, where he reiterated his call for the removal of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from the restrictive envelope budget system. He argued that the current framework limits the Force’s capacity to adequately address national security challenges.
In response, some lawmakers, including Senator Abdul Ningi, defended the envelope system, stating that it “was never a legal entity, nor was it ratified by the National Assembly, and should therefore remain the norm.”
However, other lawmakers supported the IGP’s appeal, calling for a review of the budgeting process to adopt a more flexible and needs-based funding model for the police.
