Nigeria's IGP targets mortgage funds to bridge police housing gap
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The Nigeria Police Force plans to channel Police Mortgage Bank and Federal Mortgage Bank funds, plus private capital, into affordable housing for officers, with about 1,000 units targeted at Lagos' Ijeh Barracks by February 2027.
The Nigeria Police Force is seeking to unlock multi-billion-naira mortgage financing and private-sector capital to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing for its personnel, in a move that could deepen private investment in the country's public-sector housing market.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu said the Force would leverage funds available through the Police Mortgage Bank and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), alongside partnerships with private developers, to address its long-standing accommodation deficit. He made the comments during an inspection of about 21 police barracks and housing projects across Lagos.
"We have a lot of money in the Police Mortgage, in the Federal Mortgage Bank, and we should take full advantage of it," Disu told journalists. He said priority would go to rank-and-file officers, who make up the majority of personnel, and that some barracks inspected had deteriorated beyond rehabilitation and would require demolition and reconstruction.
The proposed financing model is expected to shift police housing beyond reliance on direct government funding, combining mortgage finance, private equity and public-sector support to deliver housing at scale rather than leave earmarked funds underutilised.
In Lagos, the state government is already working with private developers on barracks redevelopment. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, said full possession had been secured at Ijeh Barracks, with the state targeting about 1,000 housing units at the location by February 2027.