By Ayo Oyoze Baje
Insecurity and the states’ spending spree
Quote
“My position is slightly different. I don’t understand when governors just slam or spend N200bn, or whatever amount, on security. I believe in process”
-Wilson Inalegwu (retd.) ( A former Assistant Inspector-General of Police )
The rapid rise in the humongous amounts of public funds claimed to have been spent by 31 state governors on the battle against the persisting, hydra-headed insecurity
estimated at N252.26bn, specifically
in the First Half of 2026, triggers more questions than answers. That is more so, at a period when a United Nations report stated that 114 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰ks led to
1,932 deaths in the North-Eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe between April-June 2026.
Similarly, the National Human Rights Commission said 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.
So far, the security situation remained severe into the second quarter. In fact, a report by SARI Global showed that 792 precious human lives were killed
in 882 security incidents across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in June alone. And the data also showed that military and other security agencies conducted about 14,000 operations within the first half of the year, killing 1,597 terrorists and insurgents and rescuing 1,516 kidnapped victims, according to official mid-year operational figures.
As aptly observed, the wide gap between security expenditure and security outcomes has therefore, continued to raise questions about the effectiveness, transparency and coordination of security spending at both the federal and state levels.So, the questions remain unanswered.
For instance, as the killings of defenceless fellow citizens continue, in spite of the budgetary allocation to fight insecurity has there been any value for the huge sums spent, or do we say, wasted? Why has it remained a recurring ugly decimal to decimate the blood- letting criminals if they do not enjoy the crass culture of impunity from high quarters? What types of punishments have been meted out to their financial sponsors and suppliers of arms and ammunition?
And should the government still latch on the degrading and dehumanizing open injustice of granting amnesty to the so called “‘repentant’ terrorists” , as if their lives are more precious than that of their voiceless victims? Indeed, there are still more troubling features to the killing spree by the insurgents, couched with religious and political sentiments that breaks the heart.
In retrospect, in 2025 a report by geopolitical research firm SBM Intelligence found that 2,938 people were kidnapped in the Northwest region between July 2024 and June 2025. That was over 60 percent of reported incidents nationwide. According to the report, Zamfara state, the epicentre of the banditry crisis, recorded the highest number, of 1,203 abductions, followed by Kaduna with 629, Katsina with 566, and Sokoto with 358.
On August 19, 2025 armed attackers killed 32 people during an attack on worshippers at a mosque in Unguwan Mantau village, Malumfashi Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State. Analysts are of the agreement that the authorities who are supposed to ensure justice for the killings are yet to provide any information on efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible. This is reprehensible, is it not? Of course, it is!
That same year the states which recorded security-related expenditure 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, while Akwa Ibom, Edo, Osun, Rivers and Yobe recorded no expenditure in the listed categories.
Back to the expenditure of the mind-boggling sum of N252.26bn by 31 state governors on insecurity in six months of 2026 the figures cover spending on security equipment, homeland security personnel, security votes and operations, ministries of security or special advisers, and security trust funds.
It showed that state-level spending rose sharply in the latest data, with the combined expenditure across the states covered increasing by N176.42bn, or 232.6 per cent, from N75.84bn in 2025 to N252.26bn.
But based on a year-on-year comparison of states with available data, the figures you supplied show that 22 states spent approximately N144.44bn in 2026, compared with N75.84bn in 2025. That is an increase of approximately N68.61bn, or 90.5 per cent. Yet, more precious lives are still getting wiped off Planet Earth.
According to experts on security, solving insecurity in Nigeria requires a holistic approach that fixes the root economic causes, upgrades security forces, stops corruption, and builds strong local trust.
Such a multi-layered policy and process should strengthen security forces by the upgrade in their training and the provision of better equipment: The police and military should be given modern weapons, tools, and technology that would significantly improve on intelligence-led work,
With the requisite knowledge in Hi-Tech equipment they would use phone tracking, drones, and data instead of waiting to react to attacks. Prevention will always be better than cure.
Going hand – to – hand with that is the necessity to pay security workers well and care for their families so they stay well motivated. With the state police policy unfolding there is the need to protect rural areas, put permanent security bases solidly in high-risk zones, farms, and schools.
To succeed, after the engagement of the security personnel with the traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and women organizations, the
local security guards will help watch and secure their own neighborhoods. The building of such high level of trust will enhance peace within the community.
Going by the root cause analytical approach it beholds the government to
fix the economy and
create jobs in line with Section 14 Sub-section 2 (b) of the 1999 constitution ( as amended ). It all boils down to
building programs to provide young people with jobs so they do not join criminal groups.
In the light of that, the reduction of poverty would assist poor families earn money and access basic needs. But as patently evident in the Northern geo-political zone there is an urgent need to
support quality education delivery to ensure children go to school and learn to make good use of their time and also promote peace and unity.
Above all our political leaders should lead by example by eschewing the sentiments of religion and ethnicity as well as muster the political will to deal decisively with the perpetrators of pure evil -be they kidnappers, bandits, or any sort of terrorists.
That is instead of treating them with kid gloves and granting amnesty to callous killers.
With all of that firmly in place and the tide of corruption stemmed down the state governors would have no reason spending billions of our common resources on fighting insecurity. Rather, they would channel such funds to building infrastructure, provide the people’s needs and give us a peaceful country not only to live in but to be proud of.
