NASS: Rowdy Session Disrupts Police 2025 Budget Defence

The 2025 budget defence session of the Nigeria Police turned chaotic on Thursday, as lawmakers erupted into a heated dispute, culminating in a dramatic walkout by Senator representing Ebonyi North district, Sen. Onyekachi Nwebonyi.

The disruption marred the Joint Committee session, which was supposed to review the police budget and assess the Inspector-General of Police’s (IGP) funding requests. The uproar began when IGP Kayode Egbetokun was presenting details of the police budget, particularly regarding the construction of five zonal police headquarters. As he spoke, Representative Mark Esset of Akwa Ibom interjected, questioning why certain figures he was referencing were absent from the document provided to committee members.

The situation escalated when Senator Nwoebonyi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a principal officer, demanded that the IGP provide a proper copy of the information to all lawmakers present. His frustration grew when the Committee Chairman overruled his Point of Order and allowed the IGP to continue his presentation. Angered by the committee’s decision, Senator Nwoebonyi abruptly packed his belongings and stormed out of the session, while engaging in a verbal exchange with several House members who jeered at him as he made his exit. Ranking lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi expressed disappointment over the incident, defending the committee’s decision to follow established parliamentary procedures and emphasizing that members should not interject without being recognized. Once tensions subsided, IGP Egbetokun acknowledged that the police force remains significantly underfunded, advocating for the removal of the police from the “envelope” budgetary system to secure more consistent and sufficient funding. The IGP also revealed that President Bola Tinubu had approved an increase in the police’s annual recruitment quota from 10,000 to 30,000, which he hopes will bolster the force’s performance and efficiency in the coming year. “We are hopeful that with this increased recruitment, we will be better equipped to deliver on our mandate,” Egbetokun said. He also reiterated the police’s reliance on adequate funding to effectively perform their duties and address national security challenges.