By Opeyemi Adelakun
No fewer than 31 state governments spent an estimated N252.26bn on security-related activities between January and June 2026, even as Nigeria continued to grapple with killings, kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and other forms of criminality.
An analysis of state fiscal performance reports for the first two quarters of 2026, obtained from Open Nigerian States, a BudgIT-backed repository of government budget data, showed that Kogi, Plateau and Bauchi recorded the highest expenditures among the states covered.
Kogi topped the list with N34.67bn, accounting for 13.74 per cent of the total expenditure captured. Plateau followed with N23.69bn, while Bauchi recorded N22.35bn.
Together, the three states accounted for about N80.70bn, representing roughly 32 per cent of the total security-related spending captured in the analysis.
The expenditure covered areas including security equipment, homeland security personnel, security votes and operations, ministries of security and special advisers, as well as security trust funds.
The figures indicate a sharp increase in state-level security expenditure, with spending across the states covered rising from N75.84bn in 2025 to N252.26bn in 2026.
However, a like-for-like comparison involving only the 22 states for which 2025 figures were available showed that their combined expenditure increased from N75.84bn to approximately N144.44bn, representing a rise of about N68.61bn, or 90.5 per cent.
The difference in the two comparisons is due to the fact that the 2026 dataset contains more states than the available 2025 figures.
The data showed that states spent N37.08bn on security equipment, while expenditure on homeland security personnel stood at N26.89bn.
Spending under security votes and related homeland security activities rose from N47.67bn to N135.61bn, representing an increase of N87.94bn, or 184.5 per cent.
Expenditure by ministries of security and special advisers also increased from N14.95bn to N42.15bn, while security trust fund spending rose from N6.82bn to N10.53bn.
Despite the increased spending, insecurity remained a major concern across the country.
The National Human Rights Commission reported that its Human Rights Observatory recorded 651 kidnapping incidents and 492 killings between January and March 2026, with the North-Central, North-West and North-East among the worst-affected regions.
A separate report by SARI Global indicated that 792 people were killed in 882 security incidents across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in June alone.
Official mid-year operational figures also showed that the military and other security agencies carried out about 14,000 operations in the first six months of the year, killing 1,597 terrorists and insurgents and rescuing 1,516 kidnapped victims.
The continued insecurity despite increased expenditure has raised fresh questions about whether the funds being committed by state governments are translating into measurable improvements in public safety.
Kogi’s N34.67bn was the highest expenditure recorded among the states listed.
Plateau followed with N23.69bn, while Bauchi ranked third with N22.35bn.
Bayelsa came fourth with N17.49bn, followed by Ekiti with N14.83bn and Anambra with N13.40bn.
Sokoto recorded N11.27bn, while Ondo and Kaduna spent N10.54bn and N10.37bn respectively.
Kebbi recorded N10.14bn, while Adamawa spent N9.95bn.
Zamfara, one of the states severely affected by banditry, recorded N9.07bn, while Borno, a major theatre of insurgency, spent N8.29bn.
Kano recorded N8.26bn, Katsina N7.21bn, Niger N5.36bn and Nasarawa N5.18bn.
Other expenditures included Ebonyi, N4.72bn; Kwara, N4.69bn; Delta, N4.63bn; Oyo, N3.82bn; Enugu, N3.46bn; Cross River, N2.43bn; Ogun, N1.73bn; Imo, N1.52bn; and Taraba, N1.38bn.
Abia recorded N766.72m, Lagos N615.12m, Jigawa N395.33m, Gombe N48.02m and Benue N1.58m.
Akwa Ibom, Edo, Osun, Rivers and Yobe had no expenditure recorded under the listed categories in the supplied data, while the Federal Capital Territory had no separate entry.
The analysis also showed that high security spending did not always correspond directly with the intensity of insecurity reported in a state.
For instance, Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto and Kebbi — all states that have experienced significant levels of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping — collectively recorded about N56.04bn.
By comparison, Kogi alone recorded N34.67bn.
The top five spenders — Kogi, Plateau, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Ekiti — accounted for approximately N112.15bn, or 44.8 per cent of the total expenditure captured.
The figures have consequently renewed concerns about the effectiveness, transparency and coordination of security spending at both state and federal levels.
Retired Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinbi commended authorities for increasing funding to address insecurity but cautioned against rushing to conclusions before the funds were fully deployed.
He said some officials could be sincere while others might have been compromised, but urged Nigerians to give the initiative an opportunity.
Adewinbi said, “It is commendable that they are coming together for the first time to take the bull by the horns. Naturally, while some officials may be sincere, others may not be, and some might have been corrupted along the way.”
He added, “However, we should give them a chance, as an effort of this scale hasn’t been attempted before. They have resolved to allocate funds to combat terrorism and other security threats, even though security votes already exist. How those votes were previously utilised remains a question, but it seems they now recognise that sustainable growth and survival depend on establishing peace and stability.”
The retired general said the funding could help governments acquire technology and other resources required to confront terrorism and other security threats.
He, however, stressed that the real test would be how the money was eventually deployed.
“Let us give them a chance and see how things unfold—time will tell. It is a step in the right direction. Many of them likely intend to acquire technology to fight terrorism and set aside dedicated resources to address the crisis properly,” he said.
Ex-AIG Demands Result-Based Security Spending
A former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, took a different position, arguing that governors should not make huge lump-sum allocations to security without clearly defining what the funds were expected to achieve.
He advocated result-based budgeting, with Commissioners of Police required to prepare annual policing plans based on the specific security challenges confronting their states.
“My position is slightly different. I don’t understand when governors just slam or spend N200bn, whatever amount, on security. I believe in process,” he said.
According to Inalegwu, policing plans should identify threats such as kidnapping, banditry, farmers-herders clashes, insurgency, separatist agitations, cultism and election-related violence.
He said the plans should also specify the resources required, including patrol vehicles, surveillance cameras, drones and other equipment where necessary.
“For example, this year, if you were to submit your policing plan in January, you are going to factor the upcoming 2027 national elections, and for those with off-season elections, you factor them. Election is a priority,” he said.
Inalegwu said governors and security officials should review the plans quarterly and compare spending with crime statistics.
He explained, “So, you now sit down. Then you now hold the CP accountable. Every three months, every quarter, the Security Adviser and the Governor will invite the Commissioner of Police: ‘We have seen your policing plan. If we do this and do that, are you going to reduce the crime rate?’”
He added, “And in the next three months, the Commissioner is invited… We will now begin to study and look at the crime statistics.”
Inalegwu also urged governors to strengthen community policing, noting that the amended Police Act 2020 provides for Community Policing Committees at various levels.
“Part of the orientation of new governors is to understand policing. Because in that money you spend, the amended Police Act 2020, Sections 113 to 117 state that Community Policing Committees should be established at every police station, every police divisional headquarters, every police command, and even at the IG level,” he said.
On technology, he said it should be introduced based on identified policing needs rather than simply because funds were available.
“Technology is good, but it is a policing plan that will reveal what you need—that this is what you intend to do, and you are now funding what you need,” he said.
Security Requires Different Strategies
Another retired officer, Brig. Gen. George Emdin, said the spending should not be viewed solely as a response to banditry and kidnapping.
He noted that governments had historically operated security votes and argued that Nigeria’s security challenges were too complex to be addressed through a single approach.
“Really, the expenditure is not just because of the bandits and kidnapping. It has been in existence from time immemorial. They call it the security vote,” he said.
Emdin added, “You see, security in Nigeria is multidimensional. You cannot use one tactic or strategy to defeat everyone. To be honest, insecurity cannot be eradicated at once; it takes time because when you deal with one threat, you can then face another.”
CSOs Demand Accountability
Civil society organisations, however, questioned whether Nigerians were getting value for the billions being spent.
The Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, said citizens had a right to demand accountability for security expenditure.
“No matter what you spend on security, no matter how confidential they believe it is, we are not satisfied,” he said.
Adeniran questioned whether security personnel were receiving adequate welfare and equipment despite the substantial allocations.
He said, “We have the right to ask for accountability. Is the spending going to the right quarters? Are security personnel being well paid?”
Although he acknowledged some improvement, particularly a reduction in some incidents of mass kidnapping, Adeniran maintained that the effectiveness of security expenditure should ultimately be judged by the level of safety enjoyed by citizens.
“As long as we are not satisfied, it means that the security vote is not worth spending,” he said.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, questioned how the reported funds were utilised.
He asked, “Where is the money? Who has taken the money? What procurements were made with these monies? Which equipment did they buy?”
Rafsanjani said the reported N252bn did not include security votes controlled by governors and local governments, meaning the total amount committed to security could be considerably higher.
He warned against the diversion of security funds and said public officials must not exploit the country’s security crisis for personal gain.
“Government officials must not use security as a means to siphon money. They cannot use the lives and properties of Nigerians as a means to make more money for personal aggrandisement,” he said.
He called on the Auditor-General for the Federation to provide a detailed breakdown of security-related expenditure, including procurements and projects funded with the money.
Rafsanjani also criticised the National Assembly for failing to exercise adequate oversight over security spending.
“Unfortunately, the National Assembly that should be doing oversight have decided to donate their powers and responsibilities away,” he said.
Leave a Reply