Insecurity: 31 States Spend ₦252bn on Security in Six Months
No fewer than 31 state governments in Nigeria spent an estimated ₦252.26 billion on security and efforts to combat crime during the first six months of 2026. Kogi, Plateau and Bauchi recorded the highest security expenditures, even as killings, kidnapping and banditry continue to affect different parts of the country.
An analysis of the financial reports of the individual states, covering their Q1 and Q2 reports from January to June 2026, showed that Kogi State ranked first, spending ₦34.67 billion, representing 13.74 per cent of the total amount recorded.
Plateau State followed with ₦23.69 billion, representing 9.39 per cent, while Bauchi State spent ₦22.35 billion, or 8.86 per cent of the total expenditure.
The figures highlight the increasing financial burden security challenges are placing on state governments, particularly at a time when several parts of Nigeria continue to experience violent attacks, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of criminality.
31 States Recorded Security Expenditure
The states that recorded security-related expenditure were 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.
On the other hand, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Osun, Rivers and Yobe did not have any expenditure recorded under the security-related categories examined in the analysis.
The expenditure covered several areas, including the purchase of security equipment, security personnel costs, security votes and other security-related activities.
It also included spending on security agencies or special advisers as well as contributions to Security Trust Funds established in some states.
The figures therefore provide an indication of the amount state governments are committing to security, although the recorded figures do not necessarily represent every security-related expenditure made by each state.
Security Spending Increased by More Than 200 Per Cent
The analysis also revealed a significant increase in security expenditure at the state level.
The combined expenditure of the states covered by the analysis rose by ₦176.42 billion, representing an increase of 232.6 per cent, from ₦75.84 billion in 2025 to ₦252.26 billion in 2026.
The increase demonstrates how much more state governments are committing to security compared with the previous year.
However, the sharp rise in spending has also raised questions about whether the additional resources are producing corresponding improvements in security.
Among the expenditure categories examined, spending on the purchase of security equipment stood at ₦37.08 billion, while expenditure on security personnel amounted to ₦26.89 billion.
Security Votes Account for Major Increase
One of the biggest increases was recorded in security votes and other security-related expenditure.
Spending under this category increased from ₦47.67 billion to ₦135.61 billion, representing an increase of ₦87.94 billion, or 184.5 per cent.
Similarly, expenditure on Ministries of Security and Special Advisers increased from ₦14.95 billion to ₦42.15 billion.
Spending on Security Trust Funds also increased from ₦6.82 billion to ₦10.53 billion, representing an increase of 54.4 per cent.
The rise in these figures comes at a time when state governments are increasingly being called upon to provide additional resources to support security agencies operating within their territories.
Kogi Spent the Most on Security
Kogi State recorded the highest security expenditure among the states included in the analysis.
The state spent ₦34.67 billion, representing 13.74 per cent of the total recorded expenditure.
Plateau State followed with ₦23.69 billion, while Bauchi spent ₦22.35 billion.
Combined, the three states spent approximately ₦80.70 billion, accounting for about 32 per cent of the total security expenditure recorded.
Bayelsa ranked fourth with ₦17.49 billion, followed by Ekiti with ₦14.83 billion and Anambra with ₦13.40 billion.
Sokoto spent ₦11.27 billion, while Ondo spent ₦10.54 billion and Kaduna recorded ₦10.37 billion.
Other states with significant expenditure included Kebbi, which spent ₦10.14 billion; Adamawa, ₦9.95 billion; Zamfara, ₦9.07 billion; and Borno, ₦8.29 billion.
Questions Over Whether the Spending Is Producing Results
Despite the substantial increase in security spending, concerns remain about the relationship between the amount of money being spent and the security situation across the country.
The five states with the highest expenditures—Kogi, Plateau, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Ekiti—spent a combined ₦112.15 billion, representing 44.8 per cent of the total recorded expenditure.
The top 10 states accounted for ₦157.65 billion, or 66.9 per cent, of the total spending.
However, the amount spent by a state does not necessarily correspond directly with the level of insecurity it faces.
Some states experiencing serious challenges involving banditry and kidnapping may spend less, while other states with comparatively fewer violent incidents may record higher security expenditure.
This has consequently led to calls for greater attention to be paid not only to the amount allocated to security but also to the actual results achieved with the funds.
Security Expert Calls for Better Support
Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinbi (retd.) commended the efforts by state governments to provide additional funding for security.
He said it was positive that governments were making significant resources available to support the fight against insecurity.
However, he acknowledged that there could be cases of corruption or misuse of funds in some places, urging Nigerians to give the efforts an opportunity before reaching conclusions about the entire process.
He also noted that increased funding could enable governments to acquire equipment and other resources needed to confront insecurity and terrorism.
According to him, providing security agencies with the necessary resources could strengthen their ability to respond to threats and protect communities.
Former AIG Calls for Clear Security Plans
On his part, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu (retd.), said state governors should not allocate huge amounts of money to security without clearly defined plans.
He argued that Commissioners of Police in each state should develop an annual policing plan outlining the security challenges facing their respective states, the resources required and the specific results expected.
Such a plan, he said, would make it easier for governors to understand what security funds were being used for.
It would also provide a basis for the state government to demand accountability from security authorities by reviewing the results achieved every three months.
The approach, according to him, would help connect security spending with measurable outcomes rather than simply focusing on how much money had been released.
Civil Society Groups Demand Accountability
Civil society organisations have also raised questions about how the large sums allocated to security are being spent.
Debo Adeniran, Executive Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, said Nigerians have the right to demand accountability for funds allocated to security.
He questioned whether the money was actually reaching the security agencies and personnel who needed it most.
Similarly, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, demanded greater transparency over the expenditure.
He asked:
“Where is the money? Who received the money? What purchases were made with the money? What equipment was bought?”
Rafsanjani also pointed out that the reported ₦252 billion did not include all security votes controlled by governors and local governments.
This means the actual amount spent on security by the various levels of government could be considerably higher than the figure contained in the analysis.
He therefore called on the Auditor-General for the Federation to provide detailed information on security expenditure, including the projects carried out, purchases made and other activities funded with public money.
The Bigger Security Question
The huge amount of money being committed to security demonstrates the seriousness of the insecurity facing Nigeria.
For state governments, security spending has increasingly become an important part of their budgets as they seek to support security agencies and protect residents from criminal activities.
However, the continuing presence of kidnapping, banditry, killings and other violent crimes means that simply increasing expenditure may not be enough.
There is a growing need for governments to ensure that funds are properly accounted for, security agencies have clear operational plans, equipment reaches the personnel who need it, and spending produces measurable improvements in the safety of communities.
The figures also raise a broader question about the management of public resources: if hundreds of billions of naira are being spent on security, what tangible improvements are Nigerians seeing in their communities?
For security spending to have its intended impact, experts and civil society groups argue that funding must be accompanied by planning, transparency, accountability and measurable results.
As insecurity continues to remain one of Nigeria's major challenges, the focus is therefore shifting from simply asking how much governments are spending on security to asking where the money is going, what it is being used for, and whether Nigerians are actually becoming safer as a result.