On January 16, 2025, a budget defense session at Nigeria’s National Assembly descended into chaos as lawmakers clashed with Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun over discrepancies in the police budget presentation.
The confrontation began when IGP Egbetokun outlined plans for constructing five zonal police headquarters. Representative Mark Esset from Akwa Ibom State interrupted, pointing out that the details he was hearing did not match the documents provided to him.
Senator Onyekachi Nwoebonyi of Ebonyi North joined the criticism, asserting that as a senator, he should have access to the same documents the IGP was referencing. He emphasized the need for transparency and consistency in the budget presentation.
The situation escalated when the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, Hon. Abubakar Makki Yalleman, overruled Nwoebonyi’s objection, allowing the IGP to continue his presentation. This decision led to heightened tensions, culminating in Senator Nwoebonyi storming out of the session.
Despite the disruptions, IGP Egbetokun resumed his presentation, highlighting the police force’s underfunding and advocating for the removal of the restrictive “envelope” budgeting system. He also announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had increased the annual recruitment quota from 10,000 to 30,000 officers, aiming to enhance the force’s capacity.
The session underscored ongoing tensions between the police leadership and lawmakers over budgetary allocations and transparency, reflecting broader challenges in Nigeria’s security sector funding.
