Police Spent ₦402.8m on Burials in 14 Months Amid Insecurity

The first payment of ₦55 million was made on April 5, 2024, covering burial expenses for January and February 2024. This was followed by ₦50 million on July 10, 2024, for the March–April allocation.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) spent ₦402.8 million on burial expenses for its commands and formations over a 14-month period, underscoring the human and financial cost of Nigeria's worsening security crisis.

An analysis of payment records on the Govspend portal shows that the funds were released through eight separate overhead allocations between April 2024 and December 2025 to cover burial expenses across police commands, formations, schools and zones.

The first payment of ₦55 million was made on April 5, 2024, covering burial expenses for January and February 2024. This was followed by ₦50 million on July 10, 2024, for the March–April allocation.

On August 21, 2024, the force disbursed ₦54.8 million for July 2024 burial expenses before approving another ₦50 million on October 10, 2024, for the July–August period. Records indicate that the July allocation appears to overlap with an earlier payment.

The police released another ₦60 million on December 28, 2024, covering September and October 2024.

In 2025, the force paid ₦50 million on June 27 for January–February burial expenses, followed by another ₦50 million on October 14 for the March–April allocation. The final payment captured in the records was ₦33 million, released on December 31, 2025, for May–June burial expenses.

In total, the eight payments amounted to ₦402.8 million, covering 14 months of burial expense allocations.

Although the records do not disclose the number of deceased officers, the commands that benefited or the criteria for disbursing the funds, they highlight burial expenses as a recurring welfare obligation for the police amid sustained security operations nationwide.

The expenditure comes as security personnel continue to battle banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery and communal violence across the country, with police officers frequently among those killed in the line of duty.

The grim reality was again highlighted this week when gunmen attacked the residence of Bungudu Local Government Chairman, Nura Umar Bungudu, in Zamfara State, killing two police officers and two vigilantes before abducting the council chairman and members of his family.

The recurring burial allocations reflect not only the welfare responsibilities of the police but also the heavy human cost of Nigeria's prolonged insecurity, which continues to stretch the resources of security agencies.