Honorable Makki Abubakar Yalleman, Chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, attributed the increasing insecurity in Nigeria to the underfunding and neglect of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Speaking during a special plenary session on national security, Yalleman stated that the police are overstretched, under-equipped, and underpaid, hindering their ability to effectively protect citizens against rampant crimes like kidnapping, terrorism, and armed robbery across all regions of the country.
He highlighted Nigeria’s low police-to-citizen ratio and institutional weaknesses, which make policing the country difficult. As an example of the underfunding, Yalleman mentioned that the Inspector-General of Police could not intervene when the Zamfara Commissioner of Police urgently requested vehicles due to a lack of funds. He also noted that as of November, the NPF had only received overhead allocations up to July.
Yalleman stressed the need for urgent government support, including recruiting qualified personnel, renovating training institutions, providing modern equipment, and improving officer welfare. He emphasized that internal security is the core responsibility of the police and called for a collective effort to increase the NPF’s funding.
While acknowledging the military’s role in counterinsurgency, he maintained that the police are the backbone of internal security. He concluded by proposing that the House invite the Chief of Army Staff to brief them on national operational challenges.
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