At least 31 state governments spent an estimated N252.26 billion on security-related activities in the first six months of 2026, as authorities intensified efforts to combat killings, kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities across the country.
An analysis of state fiscal performance using January-to-June 2026 budget performance reports obtained from Open Nigerian States, a BudgIT-backed platform that tracks government budget data, showed that Kogi, Plateau and Bauchi accounted for the largest share of the expenditure.
Kogi topped the list with N34.67 billion, representing 13.74 per cent of the total expenditure captured, followed by Plateau with N23.69 billion and Bauchi with N22.35 billion.
The figures covered expenditure on security equipment, homeland security personnel, security votes and operations, ministries of security and special advisers, as well as security trust funds.
Overall spending increased significantly, rising from N75.84 billion in the comparable 2025 data to N252.26 billion in 2026. However, the year-on-year comparison is based on 22 states for which 2025 figures were available and therefore does not represent a like-for-like comparison of all states.
Security equipment accounted for N37.08 billion, while expenditure on homeland security personnel stood at N26.89 billion.
Spending under security votes and related homeland security expenditure rose to N135.61 billion from N47.67 billion, while expenditure by ministries of security and special advisers increased to N42.15 billion from N14.95 billion. Security trust fund spending also climbed to N10.53 billion from N6.82 billion.
The states captured in the data include Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara.
Kogi leads spending
Kogi’s N34.67 billion was the highest expenditure recorded among the states, exceeding Plateau’s spending by N10.98 billion and Bauchi’s by N12.31 billion.
The three leading states collectively spent about N80.70 billion, accounting for roughly 32 per cent of the total security expenditure captured in the data.
Bayelsa ranked fourth with N17.49 billion, followed by Ekiti with N14.83 billion and Anambra with N13.40 billion.
Sokoto recorded N11.27 billion, while Ondo and Kaduna spent N10.54 billion and N10.37 billion respectively. Kebbi recorded N10.14 billion and Adamawa N9.95 billion.
Zamfara, one of the states severely affected by banditry, spent N9.07 billion, while Borno, a major theatre of insurgency, recorded N8.29 billion.
Kano spent N8.26 billion, Katsina N7.21 billion, Niger N5.36 billion and Nasarawa N5.18 billion.
Ebonyi and Kwara recorded N4.72 billion and N4.69 billion respectively, while Delta spent N4.63 billion. Oyo recorded N3.82 billion and Enugu N3.46 billion.
At the lower end of the table, Lagos recorded N615.12 million, Jigawa N395.33 million, Gombe N48.02 million and Benue N1.58 million across the listed categories.
Akwa Ibom, Osun, Rivers and Yobe had no expenditure recorded in the listed categories, while Edo was listed without figures. The supplied dataset also contained no separate entry for the Federal Capital Territory.
Spending rises amid persistent insecurity
The increased expenditure came against a backdrop of persistent insecurity involving killings, kidnappings, banditry, terrorism and communal violence.
The National Human Rights Commission reported that its Human Rights Observatory documented 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 military and other security agencies carried out about 14,000 operations during the first half of the year, killing 1,597 terrorists and insurgents and rescuing 1,516 kidnapped victims.
The continuing security challenges, despite increased spending, have raised questions about the effectiveness, transparency and coordination of security expenditure at both state and federal levels.
The concentration of spending was particularly notable. The top five spenders — Kogi, Plateau, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Ekiti — accounted for about N112.15 billion, or 44.8 per cent of the total captured. The top 10 states accounted for approximately N157.65 billion, representing 66.9 per cent.
The figures also indicate that security spending does not necessarily correspond directly with the level of insecurity in individual states. Some states facing severe security threats recorded relatively modest expenditure, while others with lower levels of reported violence recorded significantly higher spending.
Experts demand result-based security spending
Retired military officer, Brigadier General Bashir Adewinbi, welcomed the increased funding, describing it as an opportunity for authorities to deploy better technology and resources against terrorism and other security threats.
He, however, cautioned that the effectiveness of the expenditure would ultimately depend on how the funds were deployed and whether they produced measurable results.
Former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, called for result-based security budgeting, arguing that governors should stop making large lump-sum allocations without clearly defined objectives.
He proposed that state Commissioners of Police prepare annual policing plans identifying specific security challenges, required resources and measurable targets.
According to him, such plans would enable governors to assess the performance of security agencies periodically and determine whether allocated funds were producing the desired reduction in crime.
He also advocated stronger community policing, noting that the amended Police Act 2020 provides for Community Policing Committees at different levels of the police structure.
Another retired military officer, Brigadier General George Emdin, cautioned against attributing all security expenditure to banditry and kidnapping, noting that states have historically maintained security votes.
He said Nigeria’s security challenges were multidimensional and therefore required different strategies rather than a single approach.
CSOs demand accountability
Civil society organisations have also questioned how the funds were being utilised.
Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, said Nigerians had the right to demand accountability for security expenditure and assess it based on its impact on the protection of lives and property.
He questioned whether security agencies and personnel were receiving the resources and welfare required to perform effectively.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, demanded greater transparency over security expenditure.
He questioned what equipment had been procured with the funds and whether the reported expenditure had translated into improved operational capacity for security agencies.
Rafsanjani also noted that the N252.26 billion figure did not include security votes controlled by state governors and local governments, suggesting that actual security expenditure could be significantly higher.
He urged the Auditor-General for the Federation to provide a detailed breakdown of security-related spending, including procurements, projects and other expenditures, while criticising the National Assembly for what he described as inadequate oversight of security funds.
With insecurity remaining a major concern across Nigeria, the latest figures have intensified calls for security spending to be tied to clear objectives, transparent procurement and measurable improvements in the safety of citizens.
